Providence Book Tours: "Friendfluence" by Carlin Flora Book Review

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Book Details
Genre: Non-Fiction
Published by: Doubleday
Publication Date: January 15, 2013
Number of Pages: 288
Purchase links:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385535430/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0385535430&linkCode=as2&tag=gina0e-20
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/friendfluence-carlin-flora/1111630432?ean=9780385535434
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13642231-friendfluence

Synopsis:

Discover the unexpected ways friends influence our personalities, choices, emotions, and even physical health in this fun and compelling examination of friendship, based on the latest scientific research and ever-relatable anecdotes.Why is dinner with friends often more laughter filled and less fraught than a meal with family? Although some say it’s because we choose our friends, it’s also because we expect less of them than we do of relatives. While we’re busy scrutinizing our romantic relationships and family dramas, our friends are quietly but strongly influencing everything from the articles we read to our weight fluctuations, from our sex lives to our overall happiness levels.Evolutionary psychologists have long theorized that friendship has roots in our early dependence on others for survival. These days, we still cherish friends but tend to undervalue their role in our lives. However, the skills one needs to make good friends are among the very skills that lead to success in life, and scientific research has recently exploded with insights about the meaningful and enduring ways friendships influence us. With people marrying later—and often not at all—and more families having just one child, these relationships may be gaining in importance. The evidence even suggests that at times friends have a greater hand in our development and well-being than do our romantic partners and relatives.Friends see each other through the process of growing up, shape each other’s interests and outlooks, and, painful though it may be, expose each other’s rough edges. Childhood and adolescence, in particular, are marked by the need to create distance between oneself and one’s parents while forging a unique identity within a group of peers, but friends continue to influence us, in ways big and small, straight through old age.

Perpetually busy parents who turn to friends—for intellectual stimulation, emotional support, and a good dose of merriment—find a perfect outlet to relieve the pressures of raising children. In the office setting, talking to a friend for just a few minutes can temporarily boost one’s memory. While we romanticize the idea of the lone genius, friendship often spurs creativity in the arts and sciences. And in recent studies, having close friends was found to reduce a person’s risk of death from breast cancer and coronary disease, while having a spouse was not.

Friendfluence surveys online-only pals, friend breakups, the power of social networks, envy, peer pressure, the dark side of amicable ties, and many other varieties of friendship. Told with warmth, scientific rigor, and a dash of humor, Friendfluence not only illuminates and interprets the science but draws on clinical psychology and philosophy to help readers evaluate and navigate their own important friendships.

Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are by Carlin Flora
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a very comprehensive, well-written book that covers every aspect of friends and their unmistakable influence on our lives.  Everything is covered including the negative side of friendship (something I am experiencing now) and internet friends.  I don't want to give away too much of what is included, but you will find stories to which are easy to relate, and there is much research in the book. Differences between the sexes and ages were pointed out, and I found some things that even helped me understand my unique situation.

Everyone can relate to a book like this, and because of the arrangement of the chapters, you do not need to read it cover to cover.  Go to the chapter of your choice, and although it is not necessarily and exciting topic, it is very educational.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.  I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

View all my reviews

Copyright 2012 Erin Patrice O'Brien

                

Author Bio:

Carlin Flora was on the staff of Psychology Today for eight years, most recently as features editor. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia University School of Journalism and has written for Discover, Glamour, Women’s Health, and Men’s Health, among others. She has also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, Fox News, and 20/20. She lives in Queens, New York.

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