Thoughts On… 5 key articles on long-term friendships

Devin STIPPLE
by Devin D. Marks
Grateful Host of THINKER THURSDAYS™
Founder | http://www.myTEDtalk.com

Friendships. They matter.

And leading researchers and TED-sters prove, the long-term ones matter even more. In fact, one of my “alumni” clients is Harvard researcher, Dr. Robert Waldinger. He heads one of the nation’s leading longitudinal studies on health and happiness in the lives of men and their families.

And as his breakaway TEDx Talk highlights, we thrive when surrounded by healthy long-term friendships. We wither, in the face of corrosive relationships.

The why, how, and whatnots of friendship have long intrigued me. So I’m regularly clicking and learning digging into that (sometimes exhilarating, sometimes vexing) topic. 

The result is that I have a handful of “keepers.” Insightful articles by talented “thinkers” in the friendship space that I’ve self-curated over the years. 

I hope you find this line-up worth the time. I know I do, each time I return to them to refresh my memory and mindset. (It makes for good weekend reading.)

What Are Friends For? A Longer Life
New York Times
by TARA PARKER-POPE (APRIL 20, 2009)

How Friendships Change in Adulthood “We need to catch up soon!”
The Atlantic
by JULIE BECK (OCT 22, 2015)

12 Ways Friends Improve Our Lives
Becoming Minimalist
by JOSHUA BECKER (JULY 5, 2012)

Why We Lose Friends in Midlife
Next Avenue
by Deborah Quilter (AUG 6, 2014)

How to Fix a Friendship… And Why It’s Worth It!
Huff Post
by Rebecca Bent (NOV 17, 2011)

And there you have it, some insights that may enrich your life of friendships — and add some laugh lines to your Thursdays! Here’s to your long-term friendships. May you enjoy a reconnecting meal soon.

Likely you have some insights of your own to SHARE BELOW. Please do.