Tag: humor

Talking to Judy Gruen: About Friendship and Laughter

Published: May 6, 2011 | Last Updated: April 28, 2021 By | Reply Continue Reading

Good humor can, in fact, create and cement friendships; conversely, caustic humor can signal toxicity. So I was especially happy to speak to my colleague, humorist Judy Gruen, to get her take on its significance to friendship:

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Friendship by the Book: ‘Dump ‘Em’ by Jodyne L. Speyer

Published: November 10, 2010 | Last Updated: August 9, 2022 By | 4 Replies Continue Reading

It’s never easy to end a relationship—whether it’s with a hairstylist, babysitter, boss, lover or a friend. That’s because we get attached to the people who play starring roles in our lives and breaking up invokes a range of emotions—including guilt, disappointment, sadness, anger and fear of the potential consequences.   This is a pretty […]

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7 Tips for being an unequivocally B-O-R-I-N-G friend

Published: August 11, 2010 | Last Updated: August 11, 2010 By | 4 Replies Continue Reading

Here are some simple tips to nip a new friendship in the bud or to sabotage an existing one:   1) Do it her way Abrogate all responsibility for the friendship to your friend. Let her do all the planning—including where, when and what. When you do get together, don’t initiate any conversation, or show […]

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Reader Q &A: A Foot-in-Her-Mouth Friend

Published: November 22, 2008 | Last Updated: November 22, 2008 By | 2 Replies Continue Reading

*QUESTION: Hi Dr. Levine, I’m having (and always seem to have) fractured friendships. (Great phrase, by the way!) I’m one of those people who is always trying to make a joke and therefore throw out a lot of one liners when the opportunity arises. Unfortunately, sometimes the jokes unintentionally hurt people’s feelings, and sometimes those […]

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Friendship by the Book: Friend or Frenemy?

Published: August 9, 2008 | Last Updated: August 9, 2008 By | Reply Continue Reading

When a new book on friendship came on the scene, I was eager to see where it fit on my already bulging friendship bookshelf. The just-released Friend or Frenemy: A Guide to the Friends You Need and the Ones You Don’t (Harper, 2008) by Andrea Lavinthal & Jessica Rozler is a quick summer read aimed […]

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