Exploring one of life's most valuable gifts
The workplace is without a doubt an important source of meaningful social connection, and the friends we make at work have a clear positive impact on the way we view our jobs. In an informal survey conducted over the past few months by the Language of Friendship, a resounding 100% of our respondents said they... Continue Reading →
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this year’s theme is More Than Enough. We live in a world dominated by social media showing curated lives of perfect families, love lives and job promotions. Comparing our lives to others can be damaging to our mental health, and building lives full of connection and acceptance is... Continue Reading →
By all accounts Monday, February 6th was shaping up to be a pretty good day. The temperature had warmed a bit over the weekend and most of the snow and ice had melted. By then, I was several months into a new routine, regularly commuting by train to Chicago for an interim university job. On... Continue Reading →
As a child in the 1970s, the anti-smoking advertising and public health messages in school and on TV made a lasting impression on me. I recall stories of classmates lecturing their parents on the dangers of smoking and even flushing cigarettes down the toilet. This was a decade before the health impact of second-hand smoke... Continue Reading →
Lately I’ve been experiencing an emotion I was introduced to early last year when I read about it in famed vulnerability researcher Brene Brown’s helpful book, Atlas of the Heart, which Julia and I both wrote about in separate posts. The emotion is called Freudenfreude, and it’s a mouthful, but really it’s just the feeling... Continue Reading →
I learned a few years ago not to ask a graduating senior about their post-high-school plans unless they first bring up the topic. One Thanksgiving, I innocently asked my niece if she had heard from any colleges yet, not realizing the stress that question triggered. My sister quickly set me straight, explaining how drawn out... Continue Reading →
A 2023 Oscar nominee for Best International Film and Grand Jury Prize winner at Cannes, The Belgian film Close tackles the theme of young male friendship. The film begins with a beautiful depiction of a close summer friendship between two 13-year-old boys that takes a very dark turn after the school year begins and the... Continue Reading →
April is one of my favorite months. While March signals the start of Spring, it’s April when flowers start reliably blooming, even for those of us living in the Northern parts of the United States. The days are getting longer, and it’s hard not to be optimistic when warmer weather awaits. Even the name ‘April’... Continue Reading →
In the depths of winter when it's cold and dark, I sometimes find it hard to motivate myself to go out and spend time with friends. If I'm being honest, even if a potential activity is something I love to do with someone, I often feel like just staying home in my sweatpants and watching... Continue Reading →
Friendship deserves to be cherished and enjoyed. That’s something we encourage you to do every day. But sometimes you reach an important milestone with a friend, and it becomes time for a special celebration. This is one of those moments for us, as this is the Language of Friendship’s 100th Post! We started this blog... Continue Reading →
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