All The People You Don’t Know

Do your friends actually like you? Does an acquaintance think you’re closer than you are?

This week, Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens explore the surprising psychology of friendship, from familiar strangers and para-social relationships to the unsettling discovery that nearly half of friendships may not be mutual.

Why are we so bad at judging who considers us a friend?
Why do strangers often have a bigger impact on our lives than we realise? And why do your friends almost certainly have more friends than you do?

Along the way, they uncover the science of social networks, loneliness, influence, popularity, and the famous friendship paradox, revealing how the hidden connections around us shape our health, happiness, and behaviour.

• A View From A Bridge - https://www.instagram.com/aview.fromabridge

• Letters Anonymous - https://www.lettersanonymous.com

• Are You Friends', Friend paper - https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0151588&type=printable

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Video Producer: Adam Thornton + Oli Oakley + Jack Meek
Animator: Sam Benson
Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell
Assistant Producer: Lucy Lipscombe
Producer: Simona Rata
Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter
Head Of Digital: Samuel Oakley
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn

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