Rhaina Cohen, an award-winning journalist and author of 'The Other Significant Others', discusses the significance of friendship and its potential to enhance our lives. She dives into the concept of 'friendship fidelity' and how reducing expectations from friends can improve relationship dynamics. Rhaina also navigates the emotional nuances of adult friendships, offering practical tips for coping with loss and managing differing political views. Her insights challenge the conventional perceptions of relationships, urging us to prioritize platonic connections.
38:12
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Understanding Friendship Fidelity
Friendship fidelity means caring for a friend consistently, anticipating their needs in hard times.
It involves sticking through all seasons, not being just a fair-weather friend.
insights INSIGHT
Balancing Relationship Expectations
We often expect too much from romantic partners and too little from friendships.
Offloading some expectations from romance to friendships can improve both relationships.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Friendship Complements Marriage
Chris feels fulfilled in marriage partly because he and his wife get emotional needs from friends too.
This division helps avoid frustration over unmet expectations from a single partner.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
In 'The Other Significant Others,' Rhaina Cohen delves into the lives of individuals who have prioritized deep friendships as their primary life partnerships. Through personal narratives, historical insights, and social science research, Cohen examines how these relationships defy conventional societal norms. The book features stories of friends who are co-homeowners, co-parents, and caregivers, illustrating the various forms of profound connection that can anchor our lives. Cohen argues that by expecting too much from romantic relationships and too little from friendships, we undermine both. Her work encourages readers to broaden their understanding of meaningful relationships and to recognize the transformative power of authentic, platonic connections[2][3][5].
What would it look like if we took friendship as seriously as we take romance? Rhaina Cohen, author of the book The Other Significant Others: Reimagine Life with Friendship at the Center, talks to Chris about the value of platonic relationships. They get into everything from offloading expectations from a romantic partner onto a friend can help improve relationships to how to cope with the loss of a friend to what to do when politics divide friendships. If you want to develop your friendships, Rhaina has tons of practical tips and advice.
How to Be a Better Human 