Mobile communication reveals gender differences in close relationships

A study published in Nature Scientific Reports suggests that the evolution of the closest social networks of individuals at different stages of life shows gender-dependent differences. A large amount of mobile phone usage data was analyzed in the study and among other things, the gender of the "best friend" and "second best friend" of individuals was studied. One of the main results was that the social investment of females shows a transition from the opposite sex, typically represented by the spouse, to the same sex, typically represented by the daughter.

The study was conducted at BECS by postdoc researcher Vasyl Palchykov, the Dean of Aalto School of Science Kimmo Kaski and FiDiPro Professor Janos Kertész in collaboration with Professor Albert-László Barabási from Northeastern University, United States, and Professor Robin Dunbar from Oxford University, England.

Article in Nature Scientific Reports 2/2012 (370): Sex differences in intimate relationships.

Related piece of news on the SCI website.