#78: Why We’re So Lonely and How to Create Deeper, More Meaningful Friendships with Dhru Purohit and Dr. Rangan Chatterjee

For much of human history friendship was about survival. No one, no matter how strong or independent they were, could live life alone.⁣ So we invested in our village, in our community in our tribe and developed friendships because we needed to. It was a part of our existence.⁣ ⁣ Today, most of us aren’t reliant on friends for daily survival. Our basic needs can be met through the efforts of a lot of people who we aren’t directly connected to. We still need people to grow food for us and keep the lights on, but these people aren’t individuals who we have a direct relationship with.⁣ That’s why we’re seeing more isolation in the Western world, because technically, we don’t “need” each other to survive on a daily basis. ⁣ But just because you might not need a friend to help you fetch water or grow food or build a house doesn’t mean you don’t need friends to thrive! Thriving in life means having deep and meaningful friendships that have your back and help you live a life of purpose, courage, creativity, and resilience.⁣

⁣On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, we are sharing an interview with our host, Dhru Purohit, who was interviewed by our dear friend, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee on his podcast, Feel Better, Live More. Dhru Purohit is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and documentary filmmaker. He is also the CEO of Dr. Hyman Enterprises and The UltraWellness Center, a Functional Medicine based clinic that specializes in treating chronic disease through personalized medicine. Dhru is a contributing author to two New York Times Best-Sellers, Clean Gut and Clean Eats, and helped launch the global “clean eating” revolution by co-founding The Clean Program.    In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Rangan Chatterjee talk about how the bigger your goals and dreams are the more you need friendships that have your back and help you thrive in life.⁣ They discuss why making friends is more difficult as an adult and why this is a particular problem for men—a fifth of whom say they don’t have any close friends. They also talk about why having friendships outside of our intimate relationship is essential, and how to create deeper, more meaningful friendships. 

In this episode, we dive into: -Why Dhru is so passionate about friendship (2:15) -How friendships are connected to every area of our life (5:02) -The epidemic of loneliness (6:33) -The impact of touch (12:32) -The importance of an opt-out event (24:44) -What to do if you don’t have any good close friends (41:28) -The foundation of an incredible relationship (59:25) -Fear of being a burden (1:01:24) -How to make time for friendships when you have a really busy life (1:11:40) -Dhru’s book recommendations (1:36:06)

For more on Dhru Purohit, be sure to follow him on Instagram @dhrupurohit, on Facebook @dhruxpurohit, on Twitter @dhrupurohit, and on YouTube @dhrupurohit. 

Below are the book recommendations that Dhru made during the interview: -Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time, by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz -Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, by Seth Godin -The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert, by John Gottman

Lastly, below are links to the interviews Dhru recommends from Dr. Chatterjee’s podcast Feel Better, Live More: -How Our Childhood Shapes Every Aspect of Our Health with Dr. Gabor Mate -Stress - The Health Epidemic of the 21st Century with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee -Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression with Johann Hari Part 1 -Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression with Johann Hari Part 2

Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by our partnership with the AirDoctor Air Filter. To get exclusive access to this deal visit www.brokenbrain.com/filter

Interested in joining Dhru’s Broken Brain Podcast Facebook Community? Submit your join request here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2819627591487473/ For more on Dhru Purohit, be sure to follow him on Instagram @dhrupurohit, on Facebook @dhruxpurohit, on Twitter @dhrupurohit, and on YouTube @dhrupurohit. You can also text Dhru at (302) 200-5643 or click here https://my.community.com/dhrupurohit Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.