Mapping Human Relationships: What the FAVEE-HPP Model Means for Marketers
What defines a relationship? Whether it’s with a friend, colleague, customer—or a brand—we intuitively understand the dynamics. But until recently, these social bonds were difficult to quantify across cultures and contexts. Now, a groundbreaking study (“The conceptual structure of human relationships across modern and historical cultures”, Cheng et al., 2025) offers a fresh lens: the FAVEE-HPP model—a universal framework for mapping human relationships.
Developed through large-scale natural language processing, cross-cultural surveys with over 20,000 participants, lab experiments, and computational modeling, the FAVEE-HPP model reveals a shared conceptual structure for how we perceive our social ties. More than just academic theory, this framework has significant implications for behavioral science—and for marketers seeking to craft meaningful connections with audiences.
The Five Psychological Dimensions of Relationships
At the heart of the model are five psychological dimensions that define the character of any relationship:
Formality: Ranges from informal (e.g., friendships) to formal (e.g., client/vendor dynamics).
Activeness: Captures the frequency and intensity of interactions.
Valence: Reflects emotional tone—positive or negative.
Exchange: Differentiates between material (e.g., money) and symbolic (e.g., affection) exchanges.
Equality: Assesses the power balance—equal or hierarchical.
These five dimensions give rise to three core relationship types:
Private: Close and emotionally rich, like family or romantic partners.
Public: Functional and role-based, like colleagues or customer service interactions.
Hostile: Adversarial, including competitors, rivals, or critics.
What’s remarkable is how consistent these structures are across time and geography—from industrialized nations to indigenous communities, and even across 3,000 years of Chinese historical texts.
Why It Matters for Marketers
Marketers have long tried to understand and segment their audiences. But often, strategies overlook a key question: What kind of relationship does your audience think they have with your brand?
That’s where the FAVEE-HPP model offers transformative clarity.
Understanding where your brand falls on these psychological dimensions can inform:
Segmentation strategies: Is the brand relationship more formal (like a bank) or informal (like a lifestyle app)?
Messaging tone: Should the tone be emotionally rich and personal, or professional and reserved?
Value propositions: Does your audience expect symbolic, emotional rewards—or material, performance-based returns?
Campaign design: Should communication emphasize equality and collaboration, or expertise and authority?
When brands misalign with the type of relationship consumers expect, the result can be confusion, disengagement—or even backlash. But by designing communications that align with the mental model of the relationship, marketers can increase resonance, trust, and emotional impact.
Universal Framework, Local Resonance
Importantly, the FAVEE-HPP framework doesn't impose a one-size-fits-all model. While the core dimensions are universal, local norms modulate how specific relationships are perceived. Religion, modernization, gender roles, and historical context all shape how people evaluate formality, equality, and exchange.
For global brands, this is an invitation: to design campaigns that are both psychologically grounded and culturally adaptive.
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Sources
Cheng, X., Wang, Y., Zhang, M., Chen, G., & Popal, H. (2025). The conceptual structure of human relationships across modern and historical cultures. Nature Human Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02122-8