The correct answer is: A. less
A social circle is a group of people who interact with each other regularly. The stringency of direct contact is the degree to which people in a social circle are in touch with each other. If there is less stringency of direct contact, then the social circles are more loosely coupled. This means that the people in the social circles are not as closely connected to each other.
Option B is incorrect because it suggests that the social circles are more tightly coupled if there is more stringency of direct contact. This is not necessarily the case. For example, if people in a social circle only interact with each other online, then they may be more loosely coupled than if they interact with each other in person.
Option C is incorrect because it suggests that the social circles are equal in terms of stringency of direct contact. This is not necessarily the case. For example, some social circles may be more tightly coupled than others.
Option D is incorrect because it suggests that there is no relationship between stringency of direct contact and the looseness of social circles. This is not the case. There is a clear relationship between these two variables.