On the Power of Friendships: A Conversation With Rhaina Cohen

Thank you for joining: On the Power of Friendships: A Conversation With Rhaina Cohen, hosted by CIIS Public Programs, a department of California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).

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EVENT DESCRIPTION: Why do we assume romantic relationships are more important than friendships? What do we lose when we expect a spouse to meet all our needs? And what can we learn about commitment, love, and family from people who put deep friendship at the center of their lives?

Join NPR journalist Rhaina Cohen for an illuminating conversation on the power of platonic partnerships and how the thrill, intimacy, and commitment we seek is often found through meaningful friendship. Sharing insights from her years of original reporting and social science research, Rhaina argues that we undermine romantic relationships by expecting too much of them and diminish friendships by expecting too little of them.

Rhaina discusses her most recent book, The Other Significant Others, which invites us into the lives of people—spanning age and religion, gender, sexuality, and more—who have defied convention by choosing a friend as a life partner. Their riveting stories unsettle widespread assumptions about relationships and reveal how freeing and challenging it can be to embrace a relationship model that society doesn't recognize. And they show that orienting your world around friends isn't limited to daydreams and episodes of The Golden Girls, but possible in real life.

At a time when many Americans are spending large stretches of their lives single, widowed, divorced, or feeling the effects of the "loneliness epidemic," Rhaina challenges us to ask what we want from our relationships—not just what we’re supposed to want—and helps us to examine how we define a fulfilling life.

📣 Please Note: This event will have computer generated automated captions during the live event. Fully edited captions will appear within 24 hours of the live event.
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We hope that our events provide opportunities for growth, and that our audiences will use them as a starting point for further introspection. Many of the topics discussed in our events have the potential to bring up feelings and emotional responses. If you or someone you know needs mental health care and support, here are some resources to find immediate help and future healing:

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🌿 Visit translifeline.org or call (877) 565-8860 in the U.S. or (877) 330-6366 in Canada to learn more and contact Trans Lifeline, who provides trans peer support divested from police.

🌿 Visit https://www.ciis.edu/ciis-in-the-worl... to learn more and schedule counseling sessions at one of our centers.

Originally Recorded July 31, 2025

#friendship #ciis #books #relationships