Kritters Ramblings: Review: Friendfluence by Carlin Flora

Monday, January 14, 2013

Review: Friendfluence by Carlin Flora

Friendfluence by Carlin Flora

Publisher: Doubleday

Pages: 288

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads: 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.

Kritters Thoughts: A nonfiction read that is definitely out of my usual reads, but with a center on friends, I was definitely excited to read this one. I value my friends very much and just as the book states, my friends are really close to me and may even know more about me than my family and spouse. As this book centers on friends and the influence they have on our lives, I wanted to read about the good, the bad and the big deal with friendfluence.

The chapter near the end that was most interesting was the one that focused on social media and it's effects on our friendships. As a blogger, I now have quite a few "online" friends and because I live in the DC area, I have been able to transfer some of my "online" into real friends. One even came to my wedding!

The other chapter that I loved was the one on adolensce, this is when a person starts making their own choices on who they are friends with and how much time and energy that will put into those friendships. Even further, this is the time when your friendships become more important than your family members.

I love my friends and I love a book that is solely based on how important friends are from our younger years to our silver years.

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of this book free of charge from Providence Book Promotions. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Other Tour stops:

Monday: 01/14 Kristin @ Kritters Ramblings

01/14 Cheryl @ CMash Reads Showcase

Tuesday: 01/15 Gina @ Hott Books

01/15 Kristin @ Kritters Ramblings (Interview)