Friendless: Friendship, Love, and Loneliness in the Modern Age

Stephanie Cox
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Why is making friends so hard? Why does modern love feel lonelier than ever? In Friendless: Love, Friendship & Loneliness in the Modern Age, attachment therapist Stephanie Cox unpacks the struggles of connection—friendship breakups, ghosting, dating and everything in between—so you can build the deep, meaningful relationships you deserve.

Episodes

  1. 11/02/2025

    What Do We Owe Our Friends? (A Family Chat.)

    In our fifth episode of friendless, I invite you to join my family over a casual lunch as we discuss friendship experiences and opinions in a multi-generational context.  We discuss whether ghosting friends is actually the best invention of this coming generation (according to my Dad, he thinks yes). Do we have obligations to our friendships? Where does faith come into all this? (my mom weighs in) and more.  A big thank you to all our listeners as our podcast reached 250 downloads this week! If you continue to enjoy our show please reach out and let us know! And if you have topics you want me to cover I am all ears (and mic)!  If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, or share it with a friend who gets it. Learn more at www.thebetterrelationship.com and connect with me on Instagram @the.better.relationship and Pinterest @thebetterrelationshipcompany Have your own friend story to share? Want to be on the show? Email us at support@thebetterrelationship.com.

    44 min

  2. 10/01/2025

    To Have a Friend You Have to Be a Friend: A Review of the Research of Desired Friendship Qualities

    To have a friend, you have to be a friend—easier said than done. In this solo episode of Friendless, I (Stephanie, Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist) unpack what people actually want in close friendship and how to practice it today. Drawing on Roberts-Griffin’s 2011 study—where thousands answered “What qualities do you look for in a close friend?”—we move past the myths of proximity, popularity, and sameness and zero in on the real glue of closeness: trust, honesty, and dependable support. I translate the research into clear, usable skills rooted in attachment science and the EFCT lens (A.R.E.: Accessible, Responsive, Engaged). You’ll hear why safety—not convenience—is what keeps friendships steady through busy seasons, life changes, and inevitable missteps, and how to create that safety without turning your friendship into a second job. What we cover:  • Big finding: people name character over convenience—trust, honesty, reliable support beat “lives nearby” every time.  • Why friendships fade when they never leap from fun + similarity to safety + repair.  • Predictability over perfection: trust is the pattern, not the exception.  • Honesty that preserves the bond: say the true thing in a way that keeps the door open.  • Dependable support without codependence: right help, right time, right size. Therapists: Working toward EFCT certification and want targeted help? Join my EFCT Skills Lab waitlist—bring your toughest couples, map the cycle, and leave with your next two moves. Join the waitlist here: https://www.thebetterrelationship.com/efct-skills-lab Roberts-Griffin, C. P. (2011). What is a good friend: A qualitative analysis of desired friendship qualities. Penn McNair Research Journal, 3(1), 1–14. https://repository.upenn.edu/mcnair_scholars/vol3/iss1/5 If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, or share it with a friend who gets it. Learn more at www.thebetterrelationship.com and connect with me on Instagram @the.better.relationship and Pinterest @thebetterrelationshipcompany Have your own friend story to share? Want to be on the show? Email us at support@thebetterrelationship.com.

    24 min

  3. 08/30/2025

    Can Curiosity and Clear Expectations Save Your Friendships?

    On this episode of Friendless, I sit down with my close friend Natalie Walker—a biblical counselor with a gift for gentle truth-telling—to unpack why adult friendship feels so hard. We get honest about unspoken expectations, the fear of being “too much,” the temptation to stay “low maintenance,” and the insecurity of feeling replaceable—and we make the case that curiosity is love in action: when you truly want to know how a friend is doing (not just checking a box), you ask better questions, listen longer, and build the kind of safety that creates the friendships we want. We talk about why friendships actually get stronger when we name the awkward stuff and follow it with genuine, curious care—and why so many connections fade right at that repair step. If you’ve ever wished for friends you can be real with (and real again after conflict), this episode offers simple skills—initiate, ask better questions, be curious on purpose—to make closeness possible.  If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, or share it with a friend who gets it. Learn more at www.thebetterrelationship.com and connect with me on Instagram @the.better.relationship and Pinterest @thebetterrelationshipcompany Have your own friend story to share? Want to be on the show? Email us at support@thebetterrelationship.com.

    36 min

  4. 07/09/2025

    What Makes a Good Friend?

    What makes someone a really good friend? And what, exactly, makes someone… not? In this episode, I sit down with my husband and best friend, James Cox, to ask the question thats central to this podcast: What makes a good friend? We talk about: The difference between fast friends (party pals) vs. slow friends (the kind you can just sit around with on your worst days)Why being a good listener might be the most underrated friendship skill (and the rarest) How friendship can thrive (or flop) when quality time becomes an issueWhat makes a bad friend (👀 we went there)And more...This one’s thoughtful, and full of those “oh yes” moments that’ll make you think about your own friendships a little differently. Come eavesdrop on the kind of late-night conversation we usually save for the couch. 🎧 Tap play to join us. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, or share it with a friend who gets it. Learn more at www.thebetterrelationship.com and connect with me on Instagram @the.better.relationship and Pinterest @thebetterrelationshipcompany Have your own friend story to share? Want to be on the show? Email us at support@thebetterrelationship.com.

    36 min

  5. SEASON 1, EPISODE 1 TRAILER

    Why Are We All So Lonely?

    Welcome to the very first episode of Friendless: Love, Friendship & Loneliness in the Modern Age. I’m Stephanie Cox — therapist, writer, and fellow human figuring out relationships — and today, we’re diving into a question so many of us are quietly asking: Why do we feel so lonely, even when we’re surrounded by people? In this episode, I break down why friendship feels harder in adulthood, why connection in the digital age isn’t cutting it, and why loneliness has become an actual public health crisis (yes, really — the Surgeon General said so). I also share three small but powerful ways to start feeling more connected, starting today. Whether you’re single and swiping, in a relationship but feeling disconnected, or missing a friendship that used to feel effortless — this show is for you. Let’s talk about what it really means to build friendships and love that last — without feeling so alone in the process. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, or share it with a friend who gets it. Learn more at www.thebetterrelationship.com and connect with me on Instagram @the.better.relationship and Pinterest @thebetterrelationshipcompany Have your own friend story to share? Want to be on the show? Email us at support@thebetterrelationship.com.

    9 min

Trailer

About

Why is making friends so hard? Why does modern love feel lonelier than ever? In Friendless: Love, Friendship & Loneliness in the Modern Age, attachment therapist Stephanie Cox unpacks the struggles of connection—friendship breakups, ghosting, dating and everything in between—so you can build the deep, meaningful relationships you deserve.

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