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Friends share positive events with each other, and the perception of the responses as active and constructive (i.e., enthusiastic) is related to happiness. Two studies (N = 685) investigated friendship maintenance (FM) in same-sex best friendships as the mediator of the relationship between perceived responses to capitalization attempts (PRCA) and happiness. Results in both studies showed that PRCA was positively related to FM, and that FM explained why PRCA was associated with happiness, even when different measures of happiness were utilized. Although women reported higher levels of PRCA and FM compared to men, the associations of the friendship experiences with happiness were similar and the model was supported for both women and men. The results are discussed in terms of the importance of understanding the role of friendship experiences in the capitalization process. Also, directions for future research were provided.

Five studies (N = 5,150) relying on an exhaustive procedure addressed whether volunteer bias (VB) exists in friendship research among emerging adults (EAs). Consistently, the studies showed that women are more willing than men to participate in research on same- sex best friendship (SSBF). Studies 2 through 5 showed that friendship duration is not related to volunteering. Studies 3 and 4 showed that the friendships of volunteers were higher in positive friendship experiences compared to nonvolunteers. Finally, Study 5 showed that a significant portion of nonvolunteers ended up participating in research on SSBF. VB in research on friendship is an artifact that presents a concern for the generalizability and validity of findings relative to the friendship experiences of EAs. Recruitment strategies that could alleviate this problem are discussed.

Friendship quality is an important predictor of happiness, however, what might account for the association between the two? Two studies investigated satisfaction of basic psychological needs as a mediator of the relationship between friendship quality and happiness. Study 1 (n = 424) found support for the model for best friendship. Second study (n = 176) replicated the first study and showed that needs satisfaction in best and two closest friendships mediated the relationship between the quality of all friendships and happiness. The findings suggest that one reason why the quality of friendships is related to happiness is because friendship experiences provide a context where basic needs are satisfied.