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  • April 22, 2020
  • Editorial
  • Harvard Business Review Digital Articles

Why You Miss Those Casual Friends So Much

By: Gillian M. Sandstrom and A.V. Whillans
  • Format:Electronic
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Abstract

On a typical day, we interact with somewhere between 11 and 16 casual acquaintances—for example, the barista we see every morning or the colleague we greet in the hallway. During the Covid-19 pandemic, with many of us practicing physical distancing, these once-common interactions have disappeared, and our social ties have been limited to more formal, scheduled—and often exhausting—check-ins with family and close friends. The authors offer suggestions on how to repurpose the informality and spontaneity of weak-tie interactions to help us stay connected while reducing the risk of burnout.

Keywords

Psychology; Interpersonal Communication

Citation

Sandstrom, Gillian M., and A.V. Whillans. "Why You Miss Those Casual Friends So Much." Harvard Business Review Digital Articles (April 22, 2020). (Shared Authorship.)
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About The Author

Ashley V. Whillans

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • July 2022
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    The Developmental Origins and Behavioral Consequences of Attributions for Inequality

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More from the Authors
  • The Developmental Origins and Behavioral Consequences of Attributions for Inequality By: Antonya Marie Gonzalez, Lucia Macchia and Ashley V. Whillans
  • Policy Stringency and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Analysis of Data from 15 Countries By: Lara B. Aknin, Bernardo Andretti, Rafael Goldszmidt, John F. Helliwell, Anna Petherick, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Elizabeth W. Dunn, Daisy Fancourt, Elkhonon Goldberg, Sarah P. Jones, Ozge Karadag, Elie Karam, Richard Layard, Shekhar Saxena, Emily Thornton, Ashley Whillans and Jamil Zaki
  • Innovation at Moog Inc. By: Brian J. Hall, Ashley V. Whillans, Davis Heniford, Dominika Randle and Caroline Witten
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