When distance makes friendships more cherished

Click HERE

But when it works, those video calls work wonders at making people feel more connected – sometimes even more so than after face-to-face gatherings.

Science tells us that talking and hugging are good for us, releasing a feel-good hormone called oxytocin, which is sometimes termed the “cuddle hormone”.  Oxytocin makes people, especially women, feel happy and less stressed. As I stood with my arms around my friends of 40 years, ....I voiced the thought in my heart: “This is why I need to come back to see you all face to face, because a video call can’t do this.”

The sad reality though is that some friendships will fade as people move away. The sheer tyranny of distance – of time, and of space – means it will get harder for friends to find common ground when their daily lives diverge. So even as I do my best to maintain ties with friends in Singapore, a part of me lives in resigned sadness that some of those ties will fade with time.

Qn: To what extent has social media devalued true friendship in your society? (Cam. 2021)