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How do social networks cluster when groups interact, not just pairs?
Moritz Laber, Brennan Klein
June 1, 2026
When three or more people interact simultaneously in a group, do they cluster by similarity like pairs do? This survey catalogs measures and models for detecting homophily (birds of a feather) and heterophily (opposites attract) in hypergraphs—networks with group-level ties. The authors show that group-level mixing patterns differ fundamentally from pairwise ones, offering methodological guidance for studying team formation, collaboration networks, and real social systems.
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