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Sunday, September 8, 2024

The friendship paradox – The Atlantic


You realize that’s the case when you end up feeling the “post-rescheduling butterflies.”

A black-and-white photo of people eating by themselves in a restaurant
Alec Soth / Magnum

That is an version of The Surprise Reader, a publication by which our editors suggest a set of tales to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Join right here to get it each Saturday morning.

Currently, my pals and I’ve been speaking a couple of euphoric feeling you may name the “post-rescheduling thrill.” It’s what occurs when you’ve gotten dinner plans with a buddy, presumably on a chilly or wet weeknight, they usually textual content you a number of hours earlier than to say that one thing has come up, or they’re not feeling nicely, and will you reschedule? To be clear, you do wish to see this buddy; however the second they let you know they will’t make it, the brand new prospects of your night time unfold earlier than you: You are able to do your laundry; you possibly can go to mattress early; you possibly can spend high quality time along with your accomplice.

American life usually feels too busy for seeing our pals. And if that’s at instances true for the childless younger Millennials in my very own cohort, it’s much more true for fogeys or these with elder-care tasks. My colleague Olga Khazan wrote earlier this week that the loneliness disaster in America is extra difficult than meets the attention; it’s not precisely that People don’t have pals, however as a substitute that they’re not seeing the buddies they do have. Or, as Olga places it: “The everyday American, it appears, texts a bunch of individuals ‘we should always get collectively!’ earlier than watching TikTok alone on the sofa after which passing out.”

Right this moment’s publication explores easy methods to transfer past “We should always get collectively!” and the post-rescheduling thrill, and pursue friendships that mould themselves to your specific stage in life.


On Friendship

The Friendship Paradox

By Olga Khazan

All of us need extra time with our pals, however we’re spending extra time alone.

Learn the article.

Why People Immediately Stopped Hanging Out

By Derek Thompson

An excessive amount of aloneness is making a disaster of social health.

Learn the article.

Why You By no means See Your Mates Anymore

By Judith Shulevitz

Our unpredictable and overburdened schedules are taking a dire toll on American society.

Learn the article.


Nonetheless Curious?

  • The scheduling woes of grownup friendship: To keep away from the dreaded back-and-forth of coordinating hangouts, some pals are repurposing the shared digital calendar, a office staple, to plan their private lives, Tori Latham wrote in 2019.
  • Pay rather less consideration to your folks: Depth may look like a quick monitor to connection, however shared distraction may be extra highly effective, Richard A. Friedman argued in 2023.

Different Diversions


P.S.

A seagull
Courtesy of Kate Schecter

I lately requested readers to share a photograph of one thing that sparks their sense of awe on this planet. Kate Schecter, 65, writes, “It is a seagull at Lake Michigan that saved poking round my toes. I used to be amazed at its magnificence and brazenness.”

— Isabel


https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2024/09/the-friendship-paradox/679740/?utm_source=feed
#friendship #paradox #Atlantic

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