Ready to re-create a more normal social life? Take this opportunity to rethink your circle of friends.

We are in a rare moment when we can rebuild our social networks better than they were before the pandemic. Many of us have reflected over the past two years on the things that are truly important and make us happiest at work and at home. Now it is time to do this with our friendships, weighing who matters, what is missing and how to build our A-team.

The variety and quality of the friends we have, not the number, is most important, friendship experts say. Research shows that people with varied relationships have better physical and mental health. Studies show that people who have different friends who help them moderate different moods report greater well-being in life, a concept some have called “emotionships.”