archive

Why you should rank your friends

From Psychology Today, a look at why your friends have more friends than you do. The first chapter (and video) of The Calculus of Friendship: What a Teacher and a Student Learned about Life while Corresponding about Math by Steven Strogatz (and more). A growing body of experimental evidence suggests that, on the whole, we know significantly less about our friends, colleagues, and even spouses than we think we do. Faux Friendship: Enveloped by networks, do we still know how to make meaningful connections? A review of Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives by Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler (and more). From Sirens, two longtime pals chat honestly about surviving one friend’s motherhood when the other remains happily child-free; and female friendship is complicated in and of itself, but when one woman gets a ring, how do the rules change? Social networking is not killing friendship: A culture that punishes men who express emotional vulnerability does a lot more damage than Facebook. From THES, a review of Mark Twain and Male Friendship: The Twichell, Howells and Rogers Friendships by Peter Messent. An article on why you should rank your friends (but not tell them). There's an awful moment in any friendship when it becomes obvious that you no longer like each other — what do you do? Friends may not always conform to the traditional idea of what a mate should be, but that isn't such a bad thing.