The Grown-Up’s Guide to Making and Keeping Friends

The responsibilities of adulthood can make prioritizing friendship—especially new friendship—hard.

Two friendship coaches break down myths about personality types and let us in on how to take part in new social situations with deeper connections — and less anxiety.

What makes you unique is not your specific attributes. It’s your specific ties to the network around you.

“I knew many old couples who had happy and loving arranged marriages. I thought, If it worked for them, why couldn’t it work for friendships?”

When it comes to friendship, quality is better than quantity.

Everyone feels left out sometimes. It’s how you handle it that matters.

If you think a pal is way less (or way more) invested than you are, here’s what to do.

“When someone I love and cherish answers my phone call with a sweet, confused ’uh, hey?’ it’s like music to my freaking ears.”

Is there any purer expression of friendship than mutually deciding to disappear into your respective books?

The men we spoke to said they rely on online games and voice chat to achieve the interpersonal closeness that can feel contrived or heavy-handed in a prearranged phone call.

It’s possible to connect while still ticking items off your person-chore list.

Why our instinctive efforts to salve another’s sadness tend to only deepen their helpless anguish and broaden the abyss between us and them—and what to do instead.

Real-life tips and guidelines we can use to find some common ground with our peers without breaking the bank.

It’s well documented that close friendships are good for our health and longevity. Why isn’t adult life more conducive to being a good friend?