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The Friendship Paradox: Causal Evidence of Its Behavioral Consequences

Author

Listed:
  • Charness, Gary

    (University of California, Santa Barbara)

  • Feri, Francesco

    (Royal Holloway University of London)

  • Jackson, Matthew

    (Stanford University)

  • Melendez-Jimenez, Miguel

    (University of Malaga)

  • Sutter, Matthias

    (Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Economics)

Abstract

We provide a first causal analysis of the behavioral consequences of the friendship paradox—the fact that people’s friends in a network have more connections than average. We find that people’s behavior is biased by their network position: they do not best respond to what they should infer the average behavior of the population to be, but instead simply to the average behavior of their friends. Moreover, we find that they fail to learn to overcome such a bias when relocated within the network, varying their observational environment. In these games of complements, the friendship paradox generates a systematic upward distortion in actions, increases behavioral dispersion, and persists despite learning opportunities.

Suggested Citation

  • Charness, Gary & Feri, Francesco & Jackson, Matthew & Melendez-Jimenez, Miguel & Sutter, Matthias, 2026. "The Friendship Paradox: Causal Evidence of Its Behavioral Consequences," IZA Discussion Papers 18861, IZA Network @ LISER.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18861
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    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D01 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles
    • D85 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Network Formation
    • D90 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - General

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