Bestie vibes only: How to make and keep friends as an adult

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published January 2, 2026 at 8:56 AM PST

Jaimie Krems (left) and Keelah Williams, friendship researchers and best friends (courtesy Keelah Williams)

Having friends is important for your health and well-being. But for some adults, it’s a struggle.

Here & Now‘s Indira Lakshmanan has advice on how to make and maintain friendships across your lifespan with Jaimie Krems, co-founder and director of the University of California, Los Angeles’s Center for Friendship Research, and Keelah Williams, who studies friendship at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Here & Now Newsroom