Open-mindedness predicts racial, political, and socioeconomic diversity of real-world friendship networks.

The article investigates open-mindedness—defined as an inclination to engage with and understand perspectives different from one’s own—as a key individual difference predicting the racial, political, and socioeconomic diversity of real-world friendship networks. Across three studies involving adolescents and adults, higher open-mindedness consistently predicted greater diversity and lower homophily (preference for ingroup friends) in friendship networks, with effects observed longitudinally and across multiple social divides. Open-mindedness was found to be a more reliable predictor of intergroup friendship diversity than the broader Big Five personality trait openness to experience. Mediation analyses suggested that lower avoidance of cross-group interactions partly explains why open-minded individuals develop more diverse friendships. The findings highlight open-mindedness as a potential target for interventions aimed at fostering intergroup friendships and reducing social polarization, while acknowledging that structural opportunities for diverse contact remain necessary.