Friends

All About Friendship

Anais Nin put it beautifully when she said, "Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." Though some natural loners are happy without them, most of us depend greatly on the company of true friends. As with any relationship, friendships bring support and joy and occasionally strife. Here's how to make friends, understand friendship better, and be a great confidante to others.

Helping a Friend Whose Loved One is Seriously Ill

By Shoba Sreenivasan, Ph.D., and Linda E. Weinberger, Ph.D. on August 15, 2016 in Emotional Nourishment

How can you best help your friend during a very stressful time? Your greatest gift can be providing support in ways tailored to what your friend needs.

Wikimedia Commons: U.S. Department of State from United States

Sex at the Olympic Games? The Truth Revealed

By Kelly Campbell Ph.D. on August 15, 2016 in More Than Chemistry

For years now, hundreds of thousands of condoms have been distributed to athletes at the Olympic Games. But how many are actually being used?

How Could They Have Said That?

By Richard B. Joelson , DSW, LCSW on August 15, 2016 in Moments That Matter

Sometimes condolences can hurt more than help.

Celebrating Over One Million Views on Growing Friendships!

By Eileen Kennedy-Moore Ph.D. on August 13, 2016 in Growing Friendships

Growing Friendships blog on Psychology Today recently reached over one million views! Here's a look back at some favorite posts.

How Wishful Thinking Can Turn into Romance

By Susan Krauss Whitbourne Ph.D. on August 13, 2016 in Fulfillment at Any Age

Everyone engages in a little fantasizing in which the platonic turns to the romantic. New research shows that these fantasies can become reality under the right conditions.

10 Enduring Truths About Friendship

By Suzanne Degges-White Ph.D. on August 10, 2016 in Lifetime Connections

Do you need to down-size your social network to make your life a little less complicated?

An Out-of-Sync Friendship

By Irene S Levine Ph.D. on August 10, 2016 in The Friendship Doctor

A woman laments the loss of a long-time friend when their circumstances change.

How Do You Know if a Friend Is Truly a Friend?

By Suzanne Degges-White Ph.D. on August 09, 2016 in Lifetime Connections

How do you measure your "social capital" in life?

Interview About "Your Friend Forever"

By Charles B. Strozier Ph.D. on August 09, 2016 in History and Psychoanalysis

Lincoln's friendship with Joshua Speed reveals all kinds of things about his strengths, his struggles, and his character—and the making of greatness.

Why Unsolicited Advice Can Ruin Relationships

By Richard B. Joelson , DSW, LCSW on August 08, 2016 in Moments That Matter

Many times people who request advice don't really want it. And, perhaps surprisingly, unsolicited advice can harm a relationship rather than strengthen it.

Does Your Relationship Have Compassion?

By Joseph Cardillo Ph.D. on August 08, 2016 in Attention Training

At one point or another, most people wonder if their relationship is stable.

Clear-Weather Friends

By Jeremy E Sherman Ph.D. on August 07, 2016 in Ambigamy

Fair-weather friends abandon you when you're down. Clear-weather friends abandon you when you want to get down into problems with the friendship.

Wikimedia Commons/Jamaican Teens In Kingston by Stacey-Ann Burke?Public Domain

6 Ways to Avoid Raising Racist Kids

By Barbara Greenberg Ph.D. on August 06, 2016 in The Teen Doctor

We need to have clear communication with our kids about race.

Should You Remain Facebook Friends With Your Ex?

By Martin Graff Ph.D. on August 05, 2016 in Love, Digitally

People who remained as Facebook friends experienced lower personal growth. Is Facebook surveillance a problem?

New American Library, used with permission

Watching Edie: An Interview With Novelist Camilla Way

By Irene S Levine Ph.D. on August 03, 2016 in The Friendship Doctor

Watching Edie, a new novel about friendship, is a psychological thriller.

The New World of Male Friendship

By Charles B. Strozier Ph.D. on August 03, 2016 in History and Psychoanalysis

What is male friendship all about these days? We will look at this issue in the context of Abraham Lincoln and his most intimate friend, Joshua Speed.

Depression and Friendship

By Irene S Levine Ph.D. on July 31, 2016 in The Friendship Doctor

Depression can affect so many aspects of a person’s life, including their friendships.

The Wedding Season Friendship Strain (And How to Avoid It)

By Mariana Bockarova Ph.D. on July 30, 2016 in Romantically Attached

Planning a wedding? Read this before announcing your wedding party.

How I Became Friends With the Dalai Lama

By Paul Ekman Ph.D. on July 29, 2016 in Face It!

A friendship with the Dalai Lama is no small matter, even when you're a world renowned psychologist.

You're Not Really Friends With That Internet Celebrity

By Jennifer Golbeck Ph.D. on July 28, 2016 in Your Online Secrets

The psychology of why you feel an illusion of closeness to your favorite internet personality

Camping at Grand Teton National Park (Credit: National Park Service)

Ambivalent About Taking a Trip With Friends

By Irene S Levine Ph.D. on July 27, 2016 in The Friendship Doctor

Camping with friends (or taking any other type of trip, for that matter) can be a wonderful bonding experience if you are with the "right" friends under the "right" circumstances.

Why Are We Attracted to Our Friends?

By Robert Burriss Ph.D. on July 26, 2016 in Attraction, Evolved

Three new scientific papers reveal why we are prone to fall for our friends, and explain why so many of us try to remain friends with an ex.

Mom With Metastatic Cancer Talks About Resilience

By Michael Ungar Ph.D. on July 23, 2016 in Nurturing Resilience

From time to time I receive inspiring letters from people who have encountered my work and are kind enough to share their lives. Here is one such letter that brought me to tears.

What White Fragility Looks Like

By Sam Louie MA, LMHC on July 20, 2016 in Minority Report

You may have heard of the term "white fragility" without much context or understanding of how a Caucasian becomes defensive when he/she is challenged. Enter Jennifer Murphy...

A Fable About Aging

By Bernard L. De Koven on July 19, 2016 in On Having Fun

Might death be our best friend?

Are Facebook "Likes" a Barometer of Friendship?

By Irene S Levine Ph.D. on July 18, 2016 in The Friendship Doctor

The dark side of social media is when we use it to judge ourselves.

America's Racial Hunger Games

By Rupert W Nacoste Ph.D. on July 16, 2016 in A Quiet Revolution

Race is cat-fishing Americans. Based on our segregated racial past we go along trying to represent what we think is our racial district. But representing race is a killing game.