Washington Post advice columnist Carolyn Hax and friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson discuss ways to foster new friendships and revive old ones, emphasizing the importance of stepping out of comfort zones. They explore the benefits of connecting with strangers and redefining friend time, highlighting the value of real-life interactions in the digital age.
Social growth requires stepping out of comfort zone to foster new relationships.
Participating in shared activities with friends can maintain strong connections in busy adult lives.
Deep dives
Prioritize Social Fitness by Being Proactive in Building Friendships
Being lazy in friendships can hinder social growth. Interacting with a diverse range of people, even in uncomfortable situations, can enhance interpersonal skills that benefit relationships in the long term. Embracing interactions that challenge and expand social circles can lead to unexpected, meaningful connections.
Engage in Shared Activities to Facilitate Meaningful Connections
Joining group activities provides a platform for interactions with new people in a comfortable setting. Participating in shared activities offers natural conversation starters and regular opportunities for social engagement, reducing the pressure of initiating interactions with strangers.
Redefine Social Time with Friends to Prioritize Well-being
Adapting to adult life involves reevaluating how to spend time with friends. Replacing traditional lengthy social outings with practical activities like running errands together can foster quality time and maintain strong connections. Despite busy schedules, making incremental efforts to see friends regularly is crucial for overall well-being and cultivating lasting friendships.
In Class 2 of our course on friendship, you’ll learn how to get out of your comfort zone when it comes to fostering new friendships and resuscitating old ones. Cristina talks to Washington Post advice columnist Carolyn Hax about doable ways to make real-life connections at a time when technology makes that seem hard. Friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson makes the case that spending time with friends can be as simple as some shared errands. And Bob Waldinger is back to explain how we don’t always know what we actually want from interactions with other people. It turns out, we might surprise ourselves.