The Blinkist Team
Find and Nurture Adult Friendships
Find and Nurture Adult Friendships
1h 57min 3 Blinks + 17 Episode

When was the last time you had a really good, meaningful meet-up with a friend? It can be really tough once life gets in the way. Learn how to make and keep good friends as adults in this Guide with Blinkist team member, Caitlin Schiller.

1. Sick of feeling lonely

Compared to all of your other responsibilities and relationships, friendship can seem a bit unnecessary. But feeling lonely isn’t just affecting your social life, it’s affecting your health.

Getting started
Getting started

4 min
Feeling lonely is bad for your health
Feeling lonely is bad for your health

2 min
The lonely century (Chapter 2)
The lonely century (Chapter 2)

3 min
Recap of Chapter 1
Recap of Chapter 1

Recap
2. Good friendship is a gift

Some friendships just feel right. Here, we'll learn about the science behind why we resonate with one another.

Why a good friendship feels so right
Why a good friendship feels so right

1 min
A General Theory of Love (Chapter 4, 5, and 8)
A General Theory of Love (Chapter 4, 5, and 8)

7 min
Recap of Chapter 2
Recap of Chapter 2

Recap
3. No two friendships are alike

There are no set rules and expectations for friends. This means we are all free to decide what we are looking for in a friendship, and sometimes that’s not easy.

Different friends for different things
Different friends for different things

2 min
Friendship Is Different For Everyone
Friendship Is Different For Everyone

The Baggage Reclaim Sessions

12 min
4.8
Some essential components of friendship
Some essential components of friendship

2 min
Rolling Friend Date
Rolling Friend Date

2 min
Rolling Friend Date
Rolling Friend Date

Exercise
Recap of Chapter 3
Recap of Chapter 3

Recap
4. Communication is key

Friends are the people with whom we share the difficult things in life, from whom we seek out honest advice. And sometimes we have to come back from a falling out. The key to doing all of that successfully? Communication.

Speak and listen to your friends
Speak and listen to your friends

1 min
Nonviolent Communication
Nonviolent Communication

Marshall B. Rosenberg

24 min
4.5
Recap of Chapter 4
Recap of Chapter 4

Recap
5. Bringing people together

It isn't just about the one-on-one coffees and drinks you have with friends. It's also about bringing these separate relationships together. By connecting your relationships, you create a community.

Connecting friends creates community
Connecting friends creates community

1 min
The Art of Gathering
The Art of Gathering

Priya Parker

24 min
4.4
Recap of Chapter 5
Recap of Chapter 5

Recap
6. How to love your friends

Each of us have different expectations of our loving relationships that were likely developed in our formative years. A part of having a loving friendship is knowing what makes you and your friends feel loved.

What is a friend
What is a friend

2 min
The 5 Love Languages
The 5 Love Languages

Gary Chapman

20 min
4.5
Recap of Chapter 6
Recap of Chapter 6

Recap
7. From London with Love

There have been a lot of questions in this guide and hopefully they’ve sparked some ideas for you. Our team at Blinkist took some of these questions to the street to see what other people thought.

How other people think about friendship
How other people think about friendship

2 min
The 5 love languages of friendship
The 5 love languages of friendship

10 min
8. What’s next? Moving forward.

I hope by now you have a better understanding of the strategies you can use to find, grow and rekindle deep meaningful friendships. Also, since connecting with our friends is something we sometimes forget to do; I’ve got one more tool to help you make it a habit.

Outro
Outro

2 min
Habit bundling
Habit bundling

2 min
Habit Bundling
Habit Bundling

Exercise
Recap of Entire Guide
Recap of Entire Guide

Recap
Hong Kong research on loneliness
Hong Kong research on loneliness

Resource
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