From Project BFF HQ, Terri + Manya riff on the concept of a friendship recession--the "slow then sudden creep of people self-reporting that they have no close friends."

We learned that 15% of American men and 10% of women reported having no friends.

We talk about the factors that have led to the decline, as discussed by Kimberley Wilson,  including increase in people moving to search for work or the challenges of a dicey urban rental market and the increased cost of living.

There are factors outside of our control, of course. But there are things we can control when it comes to friendships, like re-galvanizing old friendships, investing time to build new ones, and remembering that making friends takes time.

Resources:
Are You Experiencing a Friendship Recession? by Claudia Canavan in Women's Health Magazine
American Men Suffer a Friendship Recession,  by Daniel A. Cox,  Survey Center of American Life
Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review, in PLOS Medicine

#BeAFriend  

*****
Thank you for listening.

After much reflection, we have made the difficult decision to shut down Project BFF and the podcast. Our last podcast episode aired on August 23, 2024. We are leaving the podcast live on Buzzsprout through the end of 2024.

We are proud of this podcast and honored to have hosted such amazing and engaging guests.

Our hope is that Project BFF and Friendshipable have inspired you to form new friendships, strengthen existing ones, and encourage others to do the same

Thank you for being a part of our story. The two of us have truly deepened our friendship during this time, and we look forward to new and memorable adventures together in and around New England, which serves as the adopted home for both of us.

With gratitude and friendship,
Manya and Terri

To contact us, you can email Manya at [email protected]