Marisa Franco is an assistant clinical professor at University of Maryland, teaching courses on loneliness and friendship. A psychologist promoting connection, she writes about friendship for Psychology Today; her articles include “Secrets to Making Friends as an Adult” and “How Open Conflict Benefits Relationships.” Franco’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Telegraph, and Vice, and she has spoken on belonging at entities including Harper Collins Publishers, Cisco, and the US Department of State. Previously, Franco was a science and technology policy fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an assistant professor at Georgia State University. Her book, Platonic: How The Science of Attachment Can Help You Make—and Keep—Friends, releases in September 2022.
Previously
The older we get, the more we need our friends — but the harder it is to keep them. This is an aphorism in the best of times, but it’s tragically true after more than two year...