The Same Drugs

Robin Dunbar on friends—the real secret to a long and happy life

05.16.2023 - By Meghan MurphyPlay

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Friends are fun, but they bring much more to our lives than just company. In his book, Friends: Understanding the Power of our Most Important Relationships, Robin Dunbar explains why, beyond mental health benefits, friends offer longer, healthier lives. (And no, online friends don't count.)

Robin is an anthropologist, evolutionary psychologist, and head of the Social and Evolutionary Neuroscience Research Group at the University of

Oxford. Meghan Murphy speaks with him about why we need friends, how to make them, what the magic number of friends is, and why human touch is the real

truth-teller.

The Same Drugs is a fully independent, listener-supported podcast. Please considering supporting us with a donation, by becoming a patron ⁠on Patreon⁠, or by subscribing on ⁠Substack⁠. Watch The Same Drugs ⁠on YouTube⁠. You can support The Same Drugs on ⁠Spotify ⁠or by donating ⁠directly via Stripe⁠. The Same Drugs is on Twitter ⁠⁠@thesamedrugs_⁠⁠. Meghan Murphy is on Twitter ⁠@meghanemurphy⁠.

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