In a 2005 study, conducted by Dr. Catherine A. Sanderson and her colleagues at Amherst College, researchers sought to examine how people who value intimate friendships work through conflict. Do they stay silent, or do they discuss their issues? She gave a survey to college students that assessed how much they valued intimacy in friendships, how they handled conflict, and how happy they were with their friendships. Results indicated that these kinds of friends voice their concerns constructively instead of avoiding issues or simply ending the relationship, which led to their friendships being
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