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, non-profits, 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