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Friendship

How birthdays became week-long blowouts

Want to make more friends? Start a club.

The limits of therapy-speak

How much social interaction do you actually need?

The case for shame

How to find your people

Small acts of kindness matter more than you think

9 easy ways to make your life a little better

Everyone messes up. Here’s how to say you’re sorry.

How to offer help when you don’t know what to say

Men have fewer friends than ever, and it’s harming their health

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Welcome to the Friendship Issue of the Highlight

Inside this issue: The state of American friendship, its radical power, and advice for small talk and making your social battery work for you, even if you’re an introvert.

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Too many Americans live in places built for cars — not for human connection

How urban planning contributed to the great undoing of modern friendship.

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How to make small talk when you hate small talk

In defense of the much-maligned conversational form.

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The radical political power of friendship

It can help us push back against tyranny. Philosopher Hannah Arendt’s legendary cocktail parties were proof.

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So you want to end a friendship. Here’s what to consider.

Platonic breakups can be just as painful as romantic ones.

Vox’s August Highlight Issue Explores the State of Modern American Friendship

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Why friendship is different than any other relationship we have

As its role in society recedes, Vox asked six people to tell us why their friendship matters — and may just be the most meaningful relationship of their lives.

Emotional exhaustion is real. Your friendships don’t need to suffer.

How to handle a lopsided friendship

How to keep money from tearing your friendships apart

From BTS fandom to video games: How 4 new friendships formed during lockdown

Friendships are crucial to survive the isolation of the coronavirus pandemic. Why do they feel so hard?

How our housing choices make adult friendships more difficult

What I wish my friends had said to me after my mom died

When I get a phone call, I assume someone died or is pregnant

I did speed dating — for friendship. Then I realized meeting people is the easy part.

The friendship plot is replacing the marriage plot. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend subverts both.

Why 30 is the decade friends disappear — and what to do about it

The Girls is a beautiful new novel about cults and teen girl friendships

What breaking up with my best friend taught me about male friendship

Male friendships are supposed to be simple. Mine wasn't.

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