Looking for a summer read? Then we have just the thing – from comedian, writer and podcast host CHRIS DUFFY (TED’s hit podcast How to Be a Better Human, HBO’s Wyatt Cynac’s Problem Areas) The EVERAND Original audiobook and ebook, Let’s Hang Out: Making (and Keeping) Friends, Acquaintances, and Other Nonromantic Relationships! Say that fast three times!
You might be aware that our lives are defined by social interactions. Friends, neighbors, in-laws, the Amazon driver (well acquainted), you’ve bumped into a human here and there. But what about the momentary interactions we share with people whose names we hardly know? In Let’s Hang Out: Making (and Keeping) Friends, Acquaintances, and Other Nonromantic Relationships, Duffy shares why these types of connections deserve more recognition than they get and can change our lives. Diving in with extensive research, while also analyzing both local and global views of community, Duffy shows readers that while an acquaintance may pack less of a punch on its own compared to a more intimate relationship, when we add the acquaintanceships together, they can have a profound effect on us (and even enhance our longevity and physical health). Winning!
In recent years, people have experienced increasing loneliness, so much so that the U.S. Surgeon General declared an “Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,” as Duffy highlights in the book. After feeling this himself, Duffy began investing more time into expanding his connections with others — including stopping for brief chats with neighbors while out on walks, becoming a regular at a public pool, and joining a beloved local breakfast club. What he found was that when people take the time to get to know those around them and tend to these — often daily — budding relationships, they sow the seeds that can grow into a garden of potentially lifelong partnerships (which, if nothing else, add a whole lot of niceness to our day).
As a “passionate fan of acquaintances, a devoted social butterfly, a man whose entire week is made by even the faintest hint of recognition or familiarity from a stranger,” Duffy swings open the door in Let’s Hang Out to show us the value of community for all of the big (and little) ways we shape each other’s lives. Remember how “Old Man” Marley saved the day in Home Alone after Kevin took the time to know him? Perhaps that could happen to you after soaking up this Everand original!
Mentions: Available on Everand, part of Scribd, Inc. Approximately 63 pages, 2 hours to read or listen to in full. Follow @Everand_us on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter).