How to make - and keep - friends - Post Reports Recap
Podcast: Post Reports
Published: 2026-01-19
Duration: 25 min
Guests: Billy Baker
Summary
Friendships are critical for health and happiness, yet many adults struggle to make and maintain them. This episode explores the challenges and strategies for building meaningful connections.
What Happened
Ella and Maggie Penman explore the challenge of making and maintaining friendships as adults, noting the importance of these connections for mental and physical health. Maggie attends an event organized by Real Roots, an app designed to help people meet new friends, and experiences the anxiety similar to a first date. The episode highlights a Surgeon General advisory about a loneliness epidemic, exacerbated by COVID-19, and how people are now recognizing the importance of friendships. Billy Baker, author of 'We Need to Hang Out,' shares his journey from believing he had plenty of friends to realizing he needed to actively nurture these relationships. He emphasizes the concept of a 'velvet hook,' a regular, soft connector that helps maintain friendships, such as a weekly gathering. Maggie takes Billy's advice to heart, reaching out to a colleague she admires to become friends, demonstrating the importance of vulnerability in forming connections. The episode concludes with a reminder to prioritize friendships daily, as they are as essential to well-being as other daily tasks. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on who they want to connect with more and to take the initiative to reach out.
Key Insights
- Real Roots is an app designed to facilitate new friendships by organizing social events, helping users overcome the anxiety of meeting new people similar to a first date.
- The U.S. Surgeon General has issued an advisory on a loneliness epidemic, highlighting the increased importance of friendships for mental and physical health, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Billy Baker, author of 'We Need to Hang Out,' advocates for the 'velvet hook' strategy, where a soft, regular connector like a weekly gathering helps maintain friendships.
- Friendships should be prioritized daily, akin to essential tasks, as they significantly contribute to overall well-being and require active effort to nurture.