How to Know If You Have Real Friends (And What to Do If You Don’t)

What if being lonely were actually a sign of being an interesting, emotionally sincere and thoughtful person? What if, in a world of superficial alliances, lonely was just what a more serious person tended naturally and legitimately to be? Our newsletter is a treasury of ideas: ideas that can inspire, console, and improve your mental wellbeing. You’ll also hear news about our app, latest releases and exclusive Q&A content, where we answer your questions: For books and more from The School of Life, visit our online shop: Our website has books and articles to help you lead a more fulfilled life: ​​For Psychotherapy and other therapeutic services: If you want to keep working on your mental well-being and self-understanding, download our hugely helpful new app now: For information on The School of Life’s learning and wellbeing solutions for businesses, including workshops and talks, visit Email business@ or join our monthly business newsletter: Join this channel to get access to exclusive members perks: FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects on our blog, here: “ How many friends do you have? Most of us would rush to think of a high number. To have to admit to having very few is - in our societies - a marker of shame and failure. But what if being lonely were actually a sign of being an interesting, emotionally sincere and thoughtful person? What if, in a world of superficial alliances, lonely was just what a more serious person tended naturally and legitimately to be? With this in mind, we might take an unusual test that seeks to explore how few friends we might actually have. “ MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: Twitter: Instagram: LinkedIn: CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Mike Booth Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert