According to a survey of 2000 adults, the average American hasn’t made a new friend in the last five years, and yet, 45% of people would go out of their way to make a new friend if they knew how. STPF alum fellow and friendship expert Marisa Franco joins current fellow Stephanie Gage for a candid conversation about her New York Times best-selling book “Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make and Keep Friends.”

In more recent history, says Franco, society has established a “hierarchy of love” with romantic love at the top -- downgrading the value of friendship. “I wanted to write Platonic to elevate the status of friendship and to help people come to see it as sacred, as I have.” Listen and learn about loneliness, the importance of friendship, and how to make lasting friendships.

Guest

Marisa Franco, Ph.D., Counseling Psychology; 2019-21 Executive Branch Fellow at the Millennium Challenge Corporation; https://drmarisagfranco.com/

Host

Stephanie L. Gage, Ph.D., Neuroscience; 2021-23 Executive Branch Fellow at the National Science Foundation; Twitter: @sl_gage

Executive Producer

Reshmina William, Ph.D., Civil Engineering; 2022-23 Executive Branch Fellow at the Department of Energy, 2021-22 Judicial Branch Fellow; Twitter: @ReshminaWilliam

Image: Marisa Franco, https://drmarisagfranco.com/