Just before Valentine’s Day, give some TLC to the less discussed relationship type, friendship. Amidst declining marriage rates and a loneliness epidemic, friends and authors Rhaina Cohen and Dr. Marisa Franco illuminate friendship’s power to transform how we define a fulfilling life. 

In her new book, The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center, NPR producer and editor Rhaina Cohen tells the stories of people who make a friendship the central relationship in their lives—like owning homes or raising kids together. Based on original reporting and social science research, the book unsettles widespread assumptions (i.e. sex is a defining feature of partnership). The stories of platonic partners from different walks of life―spanning age, religion, gender and more―reveal how freeing and challenging it can be to embrace a relationship model that society doesn’t recognize.  

In the New York Times bestseller Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make—and Keep—Friends, Dr. Marisa Franco unpacks the latest, often counterintuitive findings about friendship in an era of distraction and burnout. She debunks myths like “friendships happening organically” and explains how attachment styles—secure, anxious, or avoidant—are key to unlocking what’s working in your friendships. Making new friends and deepening longstanding relationships is possible at any age, and Dr. Franco shares research-based ways to improve the number and quality of your connections. 

The authors will be in conversation with Rabbi Aaron Potek, the Senior Rabbi and Executive Director of Jewish Life at Sixth & I, and one heck of a friend. 

Following this talk, stick around for friendship bingo, a low-pressure experience to meet new people and leave with some new friendship prospects.