New Years Resolution: Audit Your Friend Group

The Mindbuffs Podcast

Friendship and Loneliness: Why your New Year's Resolution should be a time to adapt and change your social networks!

With New Year’s resolutions in mind, this episode features insights from Mindbuffs’ psychologists Mat de Moissac and Kayla Unrau to address the loneliness epidemic. They shed light on the complexities of friendships and western society’s symptoms of loneliness through the lens of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological systems theory. Recalling lessons learned from last year’s experiences, they express why this topic is especially important to them.

This nerdy pair unpacks the many impacts that loneliness has and its unfashionable detriment on its victims. Referencing research and personal discoveries, they bring forth critical evidence on the benefits of friendship and just how many friends it takes to stop this known health issue recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO)..

As they proceed to break down the different types of relationships, they also debunk some toxic and popular myths about which relationships are worth investing in. Both echo similar sentiments that the goal is not just investing in good people but people who are also willing to invest in you. They offer specialized words of wisdom on the internal family systems and how to avoid the greatest risk of them being polarised.

Using vivid imagery of the developer's model, they take listeners on a ride on Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological systems’ microsystems, mesosystems, and ecosystems. Poignantly explaining how these different layers of our social environments impact our experiences of connection and isolation.

In this episode, listeners will enjoy learning a lot on topics varying from ways to strengthen social ties to how to gain a deeper understanding of human connection. Through this compassionate, research-backed conversation, we hope you get a great start to your year.