Deepening your intimate friendships through consistent connection and regular expressions of vulnerability is a major return on investment. “What I’m seeing more in my therapy practice is people—mostly women—experiencing a lot of anxiety about how their social network is going to shift when they retire one day,” Kelaher says. If we keep our friend portfolios thriving, though, “our 70-year-old selves are going to be grateful to who we were in our 20s, 30s, and 40s.” And so will our friends! Take it from hardcore friendship advocate Jane Fonda: “I have my friends, therefore I am.”
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