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Dear SOCNETters,

I am wondering if you can refer me to some literature on the levels and 
dynamics (or aggregate statistics / observations) of friendship 
formation between people based on co-location: friendships developed at 
work, in a gym, and other environments where personal contact takes 
place in the same location over extended periods of time and leads to 
relationship building.

I am particularly interested in "weak friendships". For the lack of 
knowledge about the terms describing relationship levels, I will say 
that an example of a "weak friendship" to me is when a person agrees to 
accept registered mail (requiring the signature of a receiver) for an 
office colleague. So, how many such friends can we expect a person to 
have in a 10-person office, 100-person office, in a bar where he/she is 
a regular, etc.? How hesitant would people be to "go to the next level" 
and ask such "weak friends" for a bigger favor (with or without an 
implied reward)?

Thank you.
Alex.

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