Our culture seems to value romance or "finding the perfect mate" over lasting friendships, and yet human history shows this focus to be a relatively recent development. In this talk, Dr. Marisa Franco explores whether friendships are just as important or possibly more important than romance. Dr. Marisa G. Franco is a professor, speaker, and friendship expert whose forthcoming book Platonic: The Surprising New Science of How to Make—and Keep—Friends as an Adult debuts with Penguin Random House in September 2022. She writes about friendship for Psychology Today and has been a featured connection expert for major publications like The New York Times, The Telegraph, and Vice. She speaks on belonging at corporations, government agencies, nonprofits, and universities across the country, including Harper Collins Publishers, Cisco, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and The Department of State. You can follow her on Instagram (@DrMarisaGFranco) or sign up for her free quiz (www.DrMarisaGFranco.com) to assess your friendship strengths. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx