The Six Forces That Fuel Friendship
I’ve spent more than three years interviewing friends for “The Friendship Files.” Here’s what I’ve learned.
She Wouldn’t Exist if Not for Her Friend’s Family
“It’s shown me the extent to which human beings can be extraordinary to each other.”
A Second Chance at Friendship
“It happened because both parties were interested to make it happen.”
How Two Internet Nemeses Became Friends
“As you find more common ground with someone, they become more of a person.”
The Friendship Researchers Who Are Also Friends
“In our writing, it got to the point where we could no longer remember who wrote which sentences, or who came up with this or that idea.”
A Creative Solution to ‘the Friendship Desert of Modern Adulthood’
“I knew many old couples who had happy and loving arranged marriages. I thought, If it worked for them, why couldn’t it work for friendships?”
The Friend Who Taught Her She Could Make It as a Single Mom
“Sometimes we need a friend to tell us what our inner voice is saying.”
The Stay-at-Home Dads Who Don’t Stay Home
“There’s no rule that says that you have to do kid-centric things when you’re parenting your child. Your kids just want to be a part of your life.”
The Unexpected Joy of Finding Your Best Friends in Your 40s
“We can just let loose and be ourselves like we were when we were boys.”
The Tight Bonds Among Expats
“You need your friends abroad. You really need them; you don’t have family.”
One Friend Is Married to Him. The Other Used to Be.
“There’s a high level of emotional intelligence here, and love, that really makes it work.”
These Long-Distance Friends Reunite Every New Year’s Like No Time Has Passed
“It’s a perfect combination of all the things that friendship should be, put into a tiny piece of space-time every year.”
Superficial Interests Don’t Matter for Friends Who Agree on the Big Things
“Our friendship shows that if people have grace and compassion with one another, if that’s your priority in your relationships, then it doesn’t matter what you share. It doesn’t matter where you differ.”
Comics Made Them Friends. Their Friendship Made Great Comics.
“He writes things that I want to draw.” DC Comics’ Tom King, Mitch Gerads, Clay Mann, and Evan “Doc” Shaner on the friendship that helps them take artistic risks.
What It’s Like to Truly Be Friends With Your Ex
“We can’t always neatly break things into ‘friends’ or ‘more than friends.’ There’s different kinds of love.”
When You Find the Best Friend You’ve Been Longing For
“I’d look at people, when they’d use the term best friend. I was like, I want one of those.”
When Friendship Is a Family Matter
“The bond that we have and the experiences that we’ve shared, I don’t really think ‘friends’ captures that.”
How to Rekindle a Long-Distance Friendship
“I think about nonphysical connections as seeds for potential future physical connections—things that can blossom.”
The Value of Friendships That Don’t Come Easy
“I probably wouldn’t have naturally fallen into friendship with Heather. It took a little more effort; it took a desire to really pursue getting to know someone.”
A Friendship That Fuels a Bigger Notion of Family
“It’s comforting to have a village of companions in this adventure to raise these children.”
There’s No Time for Small Talk in Middle Age
“It really is the most unexpected thing that you can meet some of your best friends in your 30s. I thought that ship had sailed," Jessica St. Clair said of her friendship with fellow actor June Diane Raphael.
When the Dream of Growing Old With Your Friends Comes True
“We all dreamt, We’ll grow old together. We’ll be old ladies together. And we did.”
The Awful Coincidence of 2 Friends Who Got the Same Cancer
“I think we were meant to walk through this together.”
It’s Hard to Make Friends When You Move to a New Town
“I think we both experienced some culture shock coming here. It was lonely.”
How 1 Friend Can Change the Course of Your Life
“Judo found my house for me in Seattle. Judo gave me all my initial friends [there]. Judo introduced me to my girlfriend, who I live with currently. Judo introduced me to a guy who eventually helped me get my job.”
The Joy of a Younger Friend in Old Age
“You don’t have to stop learning; you don’t have to stop growing; you don’t have to stop adventuring.”
A Newspaper by Teens, for Teens
“The lessons I learned and the people I met have always influenced who I am as a person and as a parent. Those were formative years.”
The Real Win, Place, and Show Are the Friends We Made Along the Way
“We’re not the typical kind of horse owners.”
The First ‘Real Friend’ You Make After College Is Special
“I have a big-girl job and a big-girl friend, and we’re talking about big, important things like breakups. What a life I live.”
When Your Best Friend Becomes an ‘Aunt’ to Your Kids
“Kristi’s been a constant in my life. I couldn’t even imagine not having her involved in the girls’ lives.”
When Your Closest Friends Are From Elementary School
“When I see people from Peretz school, it’s as if nothing has changed. The comfort, the ease, the knowing of each other is the same.”
Overcoming American Masculinity to Build a Deep Male Friendship
“I was by myself in a country that felt huge and overwhelming. I felt tiny, and Abhi was my anchor.”
Work-Life Balance Has to Include Friendship
“We’re able to be our fully human, vulnerable, type-A selves with a group of people who get us in a way that your partner or your kids may not.”
Hiking Is an Ideal Structure for Friendship
“Without this hike … it would have been one of those college friendships where you get together and talk about the old days.”
Friendship and Stonework Grow More Beautiful With Time
“If the house was burning down, she would run in and carry me out. She shows up, boy does she show up.”
What It’s Like to Carry On a Tradition With a Friend Who Can’t Remember It
“He could tell if it rang true inside of him or not.”
I’ve Been Secret Friends With My Son’s Ex for 30 Years
“I’ve realized that you have to look for friendship in places you would never expect it.”
The Friend COVID-19 Took From Me
“Baby and I would talk about growing old together.”
A Fantasy-Football League Unafraid to Commit to the Bit
“We have a flag that we fly. We have a portable flagpole.”