Happily Friended with author Rhaina Cohen | A Bit of Optimism Podcast

Society treats marriage like the end goal of human intimacy. Platonic friends can never be as important as romantic partners.

What would life look like if we made friendship the goal? Journalist and producer Rhaina Cohen tackles this question in her book The Other Significant Others. She tells the stories of people who made platonic friends the closest people in their lives, doing things together like buying houses, executing a will, and raising children.

I wanted to talk with Rhaina because redefining what friendship means in our lives lets us connect in new and deeper ways outside the rigid boundaries of a marriage or relationship. And it might take the pressure off our romantic partners to fulfill every one of our social needs.

This…is A Bit of Optimism.

To learn more about Rhaina and her work, check out:

https://www.rhainacohen.com/

Her book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-other-significant-others-rhaina-cohen/1143330013

⏰ Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:02:27 Deep Friendships as Life Partnerships
0:03:57 Defining Relationships Beyond Romance
0:05:27 Personal Experiences and the Impact of Friendship
0:06:57 Legal Rights and Social Recognition of Friendships
0:08:57 Challenging Traditional Relationship Categories
0:10:57 The Impact of Language on Relationship Perception
0:12:57 Loneliness and the Modern Challenge of Building Deep Friendships
0:15:27 Friendship Goals and Social Pressure
0:17:57 Reevaluating Life and Relationship Success
0:20:57 Threats to Marriages from Deep Friendships
0:23:27 Culminating Thoughts and the Future of Relationships

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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

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Website: http://simonsinek.com/
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Simon’s books:
The Infinite Game: https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/
Start With Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/
Find Your Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/find-your-why/
Leaders Eat Last: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/
Together is Better: https://simonsinek.com/books/together-is-better/

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