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839 reviews for:
Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make and Keep Friends as an Adult
Marisa G. Franco
4.09 AVERAGE
839 reviews for:
Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make and Keep Friends as an Adult
Marisa G. Franco
4.09 AVERAGE
DNF - was slow and didn't feel like I was getting much out of this
Fantastic guide with heartfelt advice based on (as much as the author could find) evidence. This will probably resonate with a lot of folks who changed locations and/or other life situations during the pandemic, and now looking for ways to reset.
Worth buying the physical copy and marking up!
Worth buying the physical copy and marking up!
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I see so much of myself in this book! Makes me appreciate friends so much more and want to adapt these advice to make more (quality) friends.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I picked this up because I felt like my social life had dwindled since the pandemic and never fully recovered. Making "real" friends in uni felt impossible and I wanted to figure out what was holding me back. What did I learn? I am intensely anxious-avoidant, communication is key, and putting in a little effort can make the biggest difference. I liked the opening sociological perspective on friendships and the introduction to attachment styles but to be honest, I lost interest toward the end. The anecdotal evidence was somewhat interesting but it was also a lot.
informative
reflective
fast-paced
I will continue to think about and reference this book for the rest of my life. I was suprised by how much I enjoyed it, and how hopeful it made me feel. I didn't go into Platonic looking for self-help, but inevitably, better understanding the science of friendship has changed how I think about and want to approach my own friendships. Dr. Franco does an excellent job of tying together scientific studies, personal stories, and historical understandings of friendship. As a history lover, I was particularly fascinated by how our understanding of friendship has changed over the ages.
Overall, Platonic is a great read - I'd recommend it to anyone who cares about their friends and wants to strengthen/grow their friendships.
Overall, Platonic is a great read - I'd recommend it to anyone who cares about their friends and wants to strengthen/grow their friendships.
I really enjoyed this book! Great resource explaining how and why we carry ourselves to others, and how we adapt and interpret them doing the same. You might say I’ve always valued strong platonic relationships over romantic ones, but I never really understood what I (subconsciously) do to foster these, to a point that my therapist calls my EQ and ability to connect with others my “super power.”
Don’t neglect your friends —be that relatives, lovers, or acquaintances— for they help us build better relationships across the board, and make us happier!
Don’t neglect your friends —be that relatives, lovers, or acquaintances— for they help us build better relationships across the board, and make us happier!
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Goal for 2025, become a better friend.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Friendship is something I decided to want to work a bit more on, and this really helped. This book made me realise why some previous friendships (or not quite friendships yet) failed or didn't work out.
It gives some really good tips on things you can do, things that are relatively easy, to either make friend or become closer with friends you already have.
It finally gave me the push to be more vulnerable or open up about difficult things, and with some things that happened, I'm really glad I started reading when I did.
Time will tell how useful reading this book will be, but for now it's off to a great start.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Friendship is something I decided to want to work a bit more on, and this really helped. This book made me realise why some previous friendships (or not quite friendships yet) failed or didn't work out.
It gives some really good tips on things you can do, things that are relatively easy, to either make friend or become closer with friends you already have.
It finally gave me the push to be more vulnerable or open up about difficult things, and with some things that happened, I'm really glad I started reading when I did.
Time will tell how useful reading this book will be, but for now it's off to a great start.
3.5 stars
I’d recommend this book to anyone new to learning about attachment theory who wants deeper friendships. The first half of the book was a pretty basic primer on attachment theory and styles (which is a good foundation but I didn’t think added much to the discourse), and the second half covered everything from conflict to generosity and affection in friendships.
I think the best advice comes in the later chapters about mutuality and reciprocity. And this is where the attachment theory stuff became more applied and useful!
Key takeaways:
- secure people don’t view conflict as combat
- secure people operate assuming the best intentions of people and are treated in kind
- people like people they think like them too
- generous people are generous in ways that are mutually beneficial to them and their relationships
I’d recommend this book to anyone new to learning about attachment theory who wants deeper friendships. The first half of the book was a pretty basic primer on attachment theory and styles (which is a good foundation but I didn’t think added much to the discourse), and the second half covered everything from conflict to generosity and affection in friendships.
I think the best advice comes in the later chapters about mutuality and reciprocity. And this is where the attachment theory stuff became more applied and useful!
Key takeaways:
- secure people don’t view conflict as combat
- secure people operate assuming the best intentions of people and are treated in kind
- people like people they think like them too
- generous people are generous in ways that are mutually beneficial to them and their relationships
informative
inspiring
medium-paced