However, a study conducted in the mid-90s concentrated on social networks in the real-life world of high schools and teenagers.
New research published in the journal PLoS One indicated a link between weight gain and friend choice.
The study examined two high schools with varying demography to see whether or not adolescents who hung out with heavier students were more inclined to be heavy themselves.
Experts from Loyola University discovered that teenagers were more likely to pack on a few pounds if they were friends with people who were heavier than them.
Similarly, it was shown that students who spent time with peers who were slimmer than them were more accustomed to trimming down.
A main driver of the research was to decipher whether young people were inclined to form friendships with people of a similar size, or if their size changed depending on their circle of friends.
The body mass index (BMI) of the students involved in the study was calculated through their weight and height, with a BMI of more than 25 indicating that someone is overweight and a BMI over 30 suggesting obesity.
Among the findings was the revelation that students with slimmer friends had a 40 per cent chance of reducing their BMI in the future, compared to a 15 per cent chance for those with obese pals.
The report authors wrote: "Effective interventions will be necessary to overcome these barriers requiring that social networks be considered rather than ignored."
Although the results indicated a correlation between social networks and weight, Dr David Shoham argued more evidence was needed.
He said: "No one study should ever be taken as conclusive and our future work will attempt to address many of these limitations."
Rather than looking to a slim friend to help you get that bikini body, why not encourage them to join you in a studio class to help boost fitness and burn calories?
