Yes, Making Friends Is Hard for Everyone

Yes, Making Friends Is Hard for Everyone

1 in 3 people suffer from loneliness worldwide.

This means more than just emotional discomfort - a Swedish study found that 24% of people affected by loneliness also suffered from severe mental health disorders. 😓

So why does it become harder to make friends as you grow up? Seasoned psychologist Loren Soeiro shares his perspective in Psychology Today:

• Life gets more “complicated”

  In your teens and 20s, friendships form naturally. You’re in school, working entry-level jobs, moving through life alongside people similar to you. As you get older, those built-in opportunities start to disappear.

• COVID didn’t help

  According to surveys, people have fewer close friendships now than they did before 2020. The pandemic led many of us to shrink our social circles. Even after restrictions lifted, old habits stuck.

• Social media makes it worse

  Apps like Instagram or TikTok create the illusion that everyone else is having fun without us. This makes us feel less confident about initiating plans.

The key to solving this problem? Soeiro suggests reaching out first. Since most people are waiting for a friend to text first, it’s up to you to initiate plans.

Secondly, talk about it. Saying “Hey, I’ve missed hanging out” can actually strengthen relationships through vulnerability.

Thirdly, keep showing up in places where new people are - this is one of the most underrated ways to make friends as an adult. The more often you put yourself in settings where casual interaction is possible (a class, a coworking space, a book club) the more chances you create to click with someone.

Young Kids Are Falling in Love With Print Again

For years, parents have struggled to get their kids off screens. iPads at restaurants, TikToks before bedtime, YouTube in the car.

Tech has become the default filler for any free time.

But now, a growing number of families are subscribing to a new generation of children’s magazines - designed to be beautiful, thoughtful, and screen-free. And kids are actually enjoying them! 🤓

Take Anyway, a quarterly magazine for tweens that launched last year. It covers everything from self-expression to mental health, and it’s already found a loyal base of subscribers.

There’s also Kazoo, which focuses on empowering girls with content from figures like Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Honest History turns world history into something kids can actually get excited about.

Spark is full of puzzles and playful activities for 4-to-8-year-olds.

These aren’t the busy, ad-filled magazines of the ‘90s. They’re visually minimalist, printed on high-quality paper, and meant to be kept and even collected.

Many are ad-free and subscription-based, which gives the creators more control over the experience and lets them focus on what kids actually care about.

So what’s driving the trend? It’s concern.

Parents today are more aware than ever of the downsides of screen time: from attention issues to anxiety and poor sleep. Rather than just restricting devices, they’re looking for better alternatives. These magazines give kids something to do that’s calming, immersive, and offline.