The Silver Bullet for Your Health: The Science of Friendship

Join us as we chat with Jaimie Krem, friendship scientist and founding director of the UCLA Center for Friendship Research. We discuss how friendship is a “silver bullet” in terms of the many health benefits it brings, including improvements in cardiovascular health, sleep, immune function, and reduced risk of mental illness and dementia. Jaimie describes how venting to your friends can be a manipulative, but effective social strategy. We contemplate the differences between men’s and women’s friendships, ponder what to call the process of “friend flirting or dating,” and examine the importance of intergenerational friendships. Finally, for those more wonkily inclined, Jaimie discusses her fascinating research on the neuroscience of friendship. And don’t forget to hang around for our “After Thoughts” where Lori and Constance unpack the episode and chat about our thoughts on what we heard. SHOW NOTESJaimie's TedX Talk on FriendshipUCLA Social Minds LabUCLA Center for Friendship Research NYT Article About The Benefits of Age-Gap Friendships The Friendship Advice Experts Swear By, NYTSend us Fan MailBeautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art. Eleanor Roosevelt