How Did Adult Friendships Get So Complicated?

“Our boyfriends, our significant others, and our husbands are supposed to be No. 1. Our worlds are backward.”

Over the past couple of years, digital connection has mattered more than ever, writes the philosopher Rebecca Roache. So, how is the nature of friendship changing?

Loneliness is everywhere—so how can we get better at making new friends? The answer: vulnerability, trust and time.

The TV show sold us an idealized vision of these relationships. For young adults, the real thing is far harder to find.

Deep and lasting connection comes in many forms: we need a new vocabulary to talk about love.

“Parasocial relationships” explain why you think influencers are your pals.

If your social life is leaving you unfulfilled, you might have too many deal friends, and not enough real friends.

Why do couple friends seem so imperative to our romantic lives? Why are some better than others? And how do we make new ones?

When we’re young, our social standing often serves as an analog for our mushy, unformed identities. In the most superficial sense, we are who we’re friends with.

Early-career connections can be life-defining. For young people entering the work force today, the connections over Zoom are shaky.

The pandemic reoriented our economy of attention, redefining the limits of who and what we could care about.

‘Friendships are like a simmering pot of buttery risotto; they require a gradual seasoning of contact, constant stirring and a watchful eye.’

Contrary to what pop culture would have us believe, most interracial friendships aren’t actually rooted in deep conversations around racial difference.

Friends should be more than people who we use to improve ourselves.

The best advice for finding your people, staying close, and getting through the hard parts.