Christmas is the season to be good to your friends as research reveals what we value most in our mates

IT'S the season for shopping, champers, and being around those we value the most. Here's why we need to be a good mate to people we turn to the most.

Australians place high value on friendship, and should prove it this festive season. Picture: ThinkStock

IT'S the season for shopping, champers, Christmas parties and being around those we value the most.

And as it turns out, while family are no doubt important to the average Australian the thing we value most above money and even our mum's advice are our friends.

In fact, we value our buddies so much that 93 per cent of us admit our friends mean the world to us, a national study into mateship commissioned by low-cost mobile service provider amaysim reveals.

When asked how highly we valued our friends, 88 per cent of people said more than love while 66 per cent admitted they meant more to them than material possessions.

And while Christmas is certainly the time for giving, the secret of being the best mate you can be this silly season doesn't mean just a few drinks at the pub or a chat over coffee - but actually involves your time and effort.

The research which surveyed more than 1000 people found 83 per cent of us valued trustworthiness in a mate, while almost the same amount (82 per cent) valued honesty and reliability (81 per cent).

Common qualities we look for in a mate include being a good listener (58 per cent), keeping a secret (56 per cent) and being there when you need them (50 per cent) so it might pay to listen and keep that Christmas party secret to yourself.

But researchers noted that there's one thing certain to take the fizz out of your friendship bubble faster than the next day hangover and that's arguments over money and romantic interests.

Two thirds of people admitted to having a falling out with a friend at some point in their lives, with a quarter citing mutual friends as the cause and almost one fifth (17 per cent) blaming money matters or romance.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, men were almost twice as likely as women to fall out over money (22 per cent as opposed to 12 per cent), while women are more likely to fall out over romantic interests than men (22 per cent and 13 per cent respectively).

Leading Sociologist Dr Roger Patulny said the results were hardly surprising given Australian's big emphasis on mateship.

Dr Patulny, who lectures at the University of Wollongong said it was important to look after your mates at this busy time of year and that ladies were often better at doing this than the blokes.

"The survey was interesting because it correlates with my own research on men and women's relationships with friends," he said.

And when it comes to presents, there's no guessing which is the more generous sex.

"Women are natural gift givers while men want to make sure the same amount of money is spent on presents, "he said.

Dr Patulny also said men tended to immerse themselves more in work Christmas parties and spending time with workmates, while women tended to spend more time with friends outside work.

He said it was important women spent more time with work mates and men spend more time with families as well as friends.

His tips for being a good mate this festive season include:

• Listening to your mates when they need to be heard

• Making time to see your friends and spend quality time, not just a quick beer

• Spread yourself equally and fairly among your mates

• If buying a gift, know which ones you're buying for and put some thought into it

• Remember to actually contact your friends and make that effort, especially for the men

Continue the conversation via Twitter @newscomauHQ | @DebKillalea

###