NPR

If You Think Everyone Else Has More Friends, You're Not Alone

Many first-year college students think their peers have more friends than they do, a study finds. But that can actually help motivate students to make new connections.
Source: Tim Ellis

When you feel like everyone around you is having more fun and spending more time with friends, it can make you feel bad about yourself — even if it's not true.

But according to Ashley Whillans, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School who studies how our view of the world affects our view of ourselves, this perception can challenge us to become more social and make more friends.

This fear of missing out on parties or

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min read
No More Noncompetes, FTC Says; Tenessee Bill Would Allow Teachers To Carry Guns
The Federal Trade Comission voted yesterday to ban nearly all noncompete agreements. Tenessee's lawmakers have passed a bill allowing teachers to carry guns on campus.
NPR3 min read
A Photographer Documented Black Cowboys Across The U.S. For A New Book
NPR's A Martinez speaks with photojournalist Ivan McClellan about his new book documenting Black cowboys, Eight Seconds: Black Rodeo Culture.
NPR5 min read
A Woman With Failing Kidneys Receives Genetically Modified Pig Organs
Surgeons transplanted a kidney and thymus gland from a gene-edited pig into a 54-year-old woman in an attempt to extend her life. It's the latest experimental use of animal organs in humans.

Related Books & Audiobooks