How To Make New Friends as an Adult

How To Make New Friends as an Adult

From How To! with Charles Duhigg by How To!

June 16, 2026 · 32 min · Episode 393

About this episode

Dr. Marisa G. Franco helps Steven navigate the challenges of making new friends as an adult.

Steven racks up acquaintances on group mountain bike rides, but he cannot turn a casual trailhead hello into a real friendship. For decades he coasted on the built-in connections of being in a band, working in a lab, and having a wife who did the social legwork. But now he needs to make some new friends. Enter Dr. Marisa G. Franco, University of Maryland professor and New York Times bestselling author, who studies adult connection for a living. She walks Steven through the "liking gap," the trap where you assume people like you less than they actually do. She exposes the covert avoidance that keeps him safe and alone. And she hands him a "repotting" strategy for converting trail buddies into a genuine community. Executive Producer Corey Wara Edited by Geoff Craig Booking by Ben Astaire Do you have a burning question or a problem you need help with? Email us at [email protected] and we will consider your topic for the show. For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To receive ad-free content, become a Pesca Plus subscriber at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List…

People in this episode

Host: Mike Pesca

Guest: Dr. Marisa G. Franco

Topics covered

  • making friends
  • adult relationships
  • social skills
  • connection
  • community building

Keywords

  • friendship
  • adult connections
  • liking gap
  • social anxiety
  • repotting strategy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Maryland

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