How to make friends as an adult
Friendships give us so much. Be bold, take the initiative, and you’ll be surprised how many people are pleased to connect
by Marisa G Franco
Friendship
How to support a struggling friend
Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say or do. Use these five strategies for providing effective emotional support
by Elise Kalokerinos
How to be a good friend to an Autistic person
Autistic and non-autistic people see the social world differently. But openness and empathy can foster a valuable bond
by Abby Sesterka & Erin Bulluss
How to overcome social anxiety
When even everyday social situations make you feel self-conscious and afraid, it’s time to try these well-tested techniques
by Fallon Goodman
For young people, emotions are highly contagious social viruses
Like viruses, our internal mental states are socially transmissible, and it’s easier to catch happiness than depression
by Jack Andrews
For Beauvoir, it’s friendship that lets us become truly ourselves
For Simone de Beauvoir, friendship, even more than love, was the means to overcome the tragedy of our radical separation
by Skye C Cleary
Rehashing your problems with friends can turn into a bad habit
Although ‘co-rumination’ bolsters relationships in some ways, it also distracts from other, better coping methods
by Shayla Love
Is it better to have friends who are like you or different from you?
Studies of longterm friends offer surprising insights as to whether friends who are more or less alike tend to endure
by Christian Jarrett
Too many men lack close friendships. What’s holding them back?
Some masculine norms are a straightjacket, depriving men of the connections they need. It takes bravery to leave them behind
by Angelica Puzio Ferrara
Why you shouldn’t shrink from challenging your loved ones’ views
Care is warranted when arguing with friends and family. But you can be respectful and still point out the flaws in their views
by Matt Ferkany
Relationships are important, but so is feeling free to end them
Comparing ‘relational mobility’ and people’s average happiness across different cultures reveals some intriguing patterns
by Thomas Talhelm & Liuqing Wei
Empathic friends can provide the right kind of peer pressure
Research on empathy development in adolescents suggests an under-appreciated potential for positive peer influence
by Marta Miklikowska & Lauree Tilton-Weaver
Horace’s lyrics of friendship offer hope to our troubled world
In the poetics of Horace, friendship is the best way to seek the good life even in the midst of crises beyond our control
by Stephanie McCarter
Discarded
The end of a friendship cracked me apart, triggering hidden memories – and helping me heal old wounds
by Antonia Malchik
Far-flung ancient communities forged bonds through broken rings
What can the fragments of Neolithic slate rings found in Finland tell us about social relationships 6,000 years ago?
by Marja Ahola, Elisabeth Holmqvist & Petro Pesonen
