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Anna Goldfarb

@annagoldfarb.com
158 followers 125 following 35 posts

Professional Friendship Explainer. Journalist and author of MODERN FRIENDSHIP. Words in NYT, The Atlantic, WashPo, Vox, Vice and more. annagoldfarb.substack.com

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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 04/03/2026
I compiled a list of 50 modern friendship etiquette rules on my Substack, Friendship Explained. My hope is that people will find these guidelines sensible, flexible, and actionable. Anything you’d like to add? Tell me here or in the comments.
open.substack.com
50 Rules of Modern Friendship Etiquette
On how to show up, communicate, make time, be curious, navigate difficult conversations, and be an all-around wonderful friend
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 13/01/2026
Married people: if your best friend invited you on a 5-day trip, would you need to consult your spouse before answering?
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Olga Khazan @olgakhazan.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Very fun interview with @annagoldfarb.com, with a special appearance by you-know-who annagoldfarb.substack.com/p/pop-up-pod...
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 13/03/2025
DEAL ALERT! My book MODERN FRIENDSHIP is only $14.57 on Amazon. This is the lowest price I've seen on the hardcover. Snap it up!!! www.amazon.com/Modern-Frien...
amazon.com
Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections
Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections [Goldfarb, Anna] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 13/03/2025
DEAL ALERT! My book MODERN FRIENDSHIP is only $14.57 on Amazon. This is the lowest price I've seen on the hardcover. Snap it up!!! www.amazon.com/Modern-Frien...
amazon.com
Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections
Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections [Goldfarb, Anna] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 28/02/2025
The specific joy of finding a friend who doesn't judge you for your extremely specific food orders ("no mayo, extra pickles, tomatoes on the side, slightly toasted, with a whisper of Dijon mustard")
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 28/02/2025
Help @julieebeck.bsky.social find stories for her book on friendship! This could be youuuuu.
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Shannon Stirone @shannonstirone.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
This Valentines Day get her what she really wants: revenge
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 07/02/2025
"Take responsibility for your social life. Communicating with a friend briefly is a gift you give your future self." My newsletter today explains why low-maintenance friendships are the Vitamin Water of connection, aka A SCAM. annagoldfarb.substack.com/p/low-mainte...
annagoldfarb.substack.com
Low-Maintenance Friendships Are a Scam
They're the Vitamin Water of Connection
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 15/01/2025
Men are trash at texting one other, according to @theatlantic.com. I can help. Here are my 4 Golden Rules of Texting: #1. Be explicit about why you’re reaching out #2. Remove uncertainty #3. Explain what silences mean #4. Group chats are for sharing news that can be recognized with a few words
open.substack.com
Men are trash at texting one other
I'm here to help
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 11/01/2025
I humbly offer you 24 pants-optional friendship tips
substack.com
Anna Goldfarb on Substack
In my newsletter today, I share two dozen tips to make your friendships stronger. Only a few suggestions technically require you to wear pants, which is pretty cool!
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 06/01/2025
I'm obsessed with this recent article by Matthew Schnipper in @theatlantic.com. Men are crappy at communicating and they tell us why –– in their own words. www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...
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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 06/01/2025
Many men are bad at texting other men back—and it might be making them lonelier, @matthewschnipper.bsky.social writes:
theatlantic.com
Why Don’t Men Text Other Men Back?
Maybe they’d have more friends if they did.
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 06/01/2025
Is this emoji combo cool? 😎👍 I feel like it's so deeply uncool it might come around and be cool again, but I'm on the fence!
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 26/12/2024
Some pants-optional friendship tips from my latest newsletter: * Propose being accountability buddies on something. * Resist using friends solely as entertainment. Run errands together. *you might need pants for this tip*
open.substack.com
24 Ways to Supercharge Your Friendships
Without having to put pants on
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 26/12/2024
Some pants-optional friendship tips from my latest newsletter: * Propose being accountability buddies on something. * Resist using friends solely as entertainment. Run errands together. *you might need pants for this tip*
open.substack.com
24 Ways to Supercharge Your Friendships
Without having to put pants on
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Nina Badzin @dearninafriendship.bsky.social · 26/12/2024
The most downloaded Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship ep in 2024 was “the 14-day friendship (mindset) cleanse,” brainchild of @annagoldfarb.com whose book, Modern Friendship, is a must read for anyone looking to improve their friendships. ninabadzin.com/2024/12/26/t...
ninabadzin.com
#126 - Is it Time For a Friendship Cleanse?
Anna Goldfarb, author of Modern Friendship, is here to discuss her 14-day friendship cleanse concept and how it can improve your friendships.
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 02/12/2024
Another banger from @allieevolpe.bsky.social!
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 27/11/2024
Attn people who overthink everything: I’m on today’s episode of Magical Overthinkers with Amanda Montell. We talked about why our friendships feel so funky — and what we can do to make them more awesome podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
podcasts.apple.com
Overthinking About Adult Friendships
Podcast Episode · Magical Overthinkers · 11/27/2024 · 1h 7m
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 27/11/2024
Two swirled forkfuls of pasta
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 26/11/2024
I wish there was a way to let people know that I'm 1000% okay with them canceling plans for any reason at any time
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 26/11/2024
As a Jew who wasn't allowed to celebrate ANYTHING Christmas-related growing up, I'm very proud of this five-hour Funky Christmas playlist I put together: open.spotify.com/playlist/6dd...
open.spotify.com
Funky Christmas
Playlist · shmittenkitten · 113 items · 2 saves
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 25/11/2024
Hey all! I hope these articles I wrote for the @nytimes.com a few years ago help anyone who needs them. Like scrunchies and Fleetwood Mac songs, the advice given is timeless. Happy reading!
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Nina Badzin @dearninafriendship.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
One of my most listened to episodes of 2024: “The 14 Day Friendship Cleanse” with @annagoldfarb.bsky.social, author of Modern Friendship. ninabadzin.com/2024/06/04/1...
ninabadzin.com
The 14-Day Friendship Mindset Cleanse
Welcome to the 14-day friendship mindset cleanse from Anna Goldfarb, author of Modern Friendship and a second-time Dear Nina guest.
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 21/11/2024
I wrote about the psychology of gift giving for @theatlantic.bsky.social a while back and it's especially useful as we descend into the holiday giving season. Enjoy the gift link (no pun intended lol) www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...
theatlantic.com
Gift Giving Is About the Buyer, Not the Receiver
Many of us want to feel like we’re benevolent, yet we pay substantial attention to how the process of giving will make us feel about ourselves.
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 21/11/2024
Signal boost! Get in touch with Julie if this sounds like you.
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 21/11/2024
Two minutes into doing an interview about friendship for a UK publication, Iggy jumped on my desk, knocked over two framed photos, and unplugged my computer. Now he's curled up in, what I call, the pudding cup of the cat tree.
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 21/11/2024
Might I be entering my Miss Cleo era? I'm thinking of setting up a friendship hotline where people get my advice on their friendship troubles. I'd charge a small fee based on how long we talk. Good idea or no?
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Josh Gondelman @joshgondelman.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
You’ve got to hand it to Sublime. “What I Got” contains more distinct pronunciations of the word “riot” (2) than basically any other song I know.
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Julie Beck @julieebeck.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
popped up from book leave for a moment to write about the election, American individualism, impulses toward self-care, and how we need each other www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...
theatlantic.com
Don’t Turn Inward
After a bruising election, many Americans may feel an impulse toward solitude. That’s the wrong instinct.
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 13/11/2024
The three best words to say to a friend in distress are: "I get it." Don't quibble. Don't play devil's advocate. Just be present. And let them know you care.
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 13/11/2024
My new cat Iggy (on the left) cuddled on my lap for the first time last night. Eleanor (right) wasn't a fan of this arrangement. Two minutes later she voted with her feet. *bonus footage of me playing Dave the Diver on my Switch
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 13/11/2024
There's a misconception that politics are driving friendships apart. It's not differing politics that doom friendships, generally speaking. It's harsh reactions that drive friends apart. I wrote about it in my newsletter, Friendship Explained. annagoldfarb.substack.com/p/political-...
annagoldfarb.substack.com
Political differences don't end friendships. It's harsh reactions that doom them.
I also share three items I avoided for no real reason but now LOVE
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Anna Goldfarb @annagoldfarb.com · 13/11/2024
hey hey! I'm a journalist who just wrote a book called MODERN FRIENDSHIP where I investigate why friendships are SO MUCH HARDER to maintain these days and what to do about it. I have a free excerpt on my website so you can see if it's for you. annagoldfarb.com
annagoldfarb.com
Anna Goldfarb | The Friendship Explainer
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