How to Navigate Friendships When Our Lives Feel Like They're Entering Completely Different Phases

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Maya Angelou's life is diverging in a profound way. How do we navigate friendships when our lives feel like they're entering completely different phases? We rely on a set of assumptions that tends to pull us apart, she says. You can affirm an identity and a friend, even though it's not your own,. Even it's not one that you would choose for yourself, but realizing that it's right for them.

It's a mistake to prioritize romantic and familial relationships over friendship, argues psychologist Dr. Marisa Franco. Strong, supportive friendships expand our sense of self, she says, and are associated with greater well-being and health. Marisa offers research-based strategies to make new friends and deepen our existing friendships, including helpful concepts like mutuality and the mere-exposure effect. Marisa and Maya also discuss how to stay friends through big life changes, why fighting could make your friendship stronger, and how to break up with a friend with clarity and kindness.

For more on Marisa's work, check out her book, “Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make—and Keep—Friends."

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