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 NOTES

Jaimie's TedX Talk on Friendship

UCLA Social Minds Lab

UCLA Center for Friendship Research

NYT Article About The Benefits of Age-Gap Friendships

The Friendship Advice Experts Swear By, NYT

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Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art. Eleanor Roosevelt

Join Constance and Lori for a personal catch-up episode, after a short podcasting break. They discuss recent health challenges, grandchildren, and grief. As always, expect some laughter and some tears as they explore themes of aging, the complex nature of caregiving, and maintaining connections with deceased loved ones. Please join us for this intimate discussion.

And, please reach out to us with your own stories about these topics. We'd love to hear the good, the bad and they ugly. Let us know if you'd like us to shout out your story during the next episode.

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Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art. Eleanor Roosevelt

Tips for making new friends aren't just for kids! In this fun and friendly episode, Constance and Lori explore the topic of friendship with expert Dr. Eileen Kennedy-Moore. We talk about the importance of friendship, and the value of developing new friendships as we age. We explore the reasons that it might be easier for us as 60-somethings to make friends, than it was when we were younger. Eileen gives concrete tips for how and where to make friends at this stage in life, and explains the role that caretaking and conflict play in establishing and maintaining long-term connections. We delve into that age-old question: are old friends better than new friends? Bonus: 4 of Constance's college friends make cameo appearances to weigh in on this question. Trigger Warning: Get your earplugs out, as Constance and Lori can't resist breaking into friendship-related songs 🤣

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 NOTES:

The Friendship Advice Experts Swear By, NYT

Eileen Kennedy Moore's Website

Eileen's Friendship Podcast

Eileen's TedX Talk: Is it Bullying or Ordinary Meanness? (has over 1M views!)

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Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art. Eleanor Roosevelt