And there's this evolutionary drive to connect. And we think of friends as this lovely thing - but it is actually a matter of life and death. We thought of loneliness as this difficult emotion, but just an emotion. How could this thing that exists entirely outside the body affect whether you're likely to catch a virus? And yet that's exactly what we now know that social connection does. They can change your cardiovascular system, your immune system, how you sleep, your cognitive health. Very few people understand that your social relationships can actually change your health. What is most misunderstood about friendships? This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

(Although she's frequently asked about human-animal friendships, Denworth sticks to bonds within one species in the book.) Have a question you’d like us to try to answer, or a topic you’d love to have us cover? Interested in being a guest? Contact us here.Life Kit Want Stronger Friendships? Pull Out Your Notepadĭenworth spoke with NPR about the science of friendship and its underestimated value to kids and adults and even for other species like sheep and fish. You can listen right here on this page, or get Marginally on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever get your podcasts.Īs always, we’d love for you to take a minute to rate and review us in your podcast app, as this helps other listeners find the show.įind us on Instagram Meghan’s occasionally on Twitter and Olivia’s music is “It’s Time” by Scaricá Ricascá. Journal, Time, Spectrum and many other publications.Īnd fascinating book, which is out this week – January 28, 2020. Her work has also appeared in TheĪtlantic, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Wall Street Sloan Foundation.įor Scientific American and she writes the Brain Waves blogįor Psychology Today. She is now the author of three books of popular science. Today we’re talking about her third book, which is Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond – an excellent book about the health and scientific data about quality relationships. Troops in Kenya, and written about everything from Alzheimer’s to zebrafish. She’s visited brain imaging labs and baboon Magazines and freelancing for women’s magazines, but has more recently gravitated Lydia Denworth started her career in news We enjoyed talking about some of our favorite parts, but we recommend checking out the whole book to learn more about this topic, which is just starting to get significant scientific attention.

Before this interview, we read her excellent new book, Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond. Today’s episode is a fascinating discussion of the science of friendship with author, science writer and editor Lydia Denworth.

Friendship book lydia denworth