If you've ever tried to figure out exactly how to ask a potential platonic connection for their number-or word that first follow-up text-you know what he's talking about. "It's mortifying," he says. "It requires being vulnerable and cringeworthy and putting yourself out there."
Social awkwardness aside, it's simply harder to meet new people when you no longer have shared high school classes or a college dorm room, says Duffy, author of Let's Hang Out: Making (and Keeping) Friends, Acquaintances, and Other Nonromantic Relationships. Add in long work hours, a fear of rejection, and lack of trust, and it's no wonder many people struggle to form new bonds.
Yet despite these obstacles, it's important to invest time and energy into growing your community: friendships keep us mentally and physically healthy. We asked Duffy and other experts how to approach making new friends through different life stages.
Early adulthood
Your 20s are the ideal time to start reflecting on your own friendshipbuilding style-knowledge that will serve you for the rest of your life. In part, that means figuring out whether you're a joiner or an initiator, says Nina Badzin, who hosts the podcast Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. As a joiner, you'll make it a point to proactively opt in to activities or events you find interesting, like dance classes, a kickball league, or a professional networking group. If you're an initiator, you'll step up to organize get-togethers. "Maybe you invite two people, and those two people invite two people," she says. Being a joiner and being an initiator both require conscious effort; knowing which you are will help you determine the best approach to making friends.
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Animals understand death too - In 2018, field researchers in Uganda came across an unusual sight: a female chimpanzee carrying an infant she had recently given birth to that was affected by albinism, an extremely uncommon condition in this species that gives their fur a striking white color.
In 2018, field researchers in Uganda came across an unusual sight: a female chimpanzee carrying an infant she had recently given birth to that was affected by albinism, an extremely uncommon condition in this species that gives their fur a striking white color.
The Petro State - Colombia's first leftist leader wants to end oil
Last year, Colombian president Gustavo Petro watched in dismay as a political and economic crisis unfolded on the other side of his country’s eastern border. Global powers had imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s oil exports after the country’s autocratic leader, Nicolás Maduro, allegedly A his re-election. As hyperinflation fueled turmoil, millions of refugees poured into Colombia to escape.
Fortress Democracy - Despite efforts at home and abroad to undermine faith in U.S. elections, this year's vote is set to be the most secure and reliable ever. Thank new laws, fail-safes, and courageous election officials
Despite efforts at home and abroad to undermine faith in U.S. elections, this year’s vote is set to be the most secure and reliable ever. Thank new laws, fail-safes, and courageous election officials
The Beauty of Being Alone - There's a lot of fear around spending time alone. Alone time can make people itchy with boredom.
Recent articles and studies warn us about the dangers of loneliness—one 2017 study by Julianne Holt- Lunstad at BYU’s Social Connection and Health Lab claims loneliness is as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. In 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy published an advisory all about the epidemic of loneliness in America. It details the genuine risks of chronic loneliness, such as increased rates of anxiety and depression, as well as dementia in older adults
What is 'American Malaria' and Are You at Risk? - Few things will leave you feeling quite so icky as returning from a jaunt outside and finding a tick clinging to your skin
Babesiosis, is causing particular concern. The disease is colloquially known as “American malaria,” partly because of its widening spread and partly because of its clinical profile. Like malaria, it can lead to headache, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, altered mental state, anemia, low blood pressure, respiratory distress, and more.
A strip-club fairy tale with a generous heart
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Fanfare for the gentle man
IN WE LIVE IN TIME, THE ROMANTIC drama whose slow October rollout has swept up moviegoers in a tidal wave of tears, Andrew Garfield plays a divorced man who finds love in a hopeless place.
On fathers, and the limits of forgiveness
IN 2016, TITUS KAPHAR MADE THE Jerome Project, a short documentary in which he confronts how his father’s abuse and drug use harmed his childhood.
RECONSIDERING MARTHA
Anew Netflix documentary assays how Martha Stewart has made us feel across a five-decade career
MEL ROBBINS WILL MAKE YOU DO IT
HOW THE PODCASTER AND AUTHOR ROSE TO THE TOP BY STATING THE OBVIOUS
