Professor Ewan Gillon, Director of First Psychology Scotland discussed the topic of friendship on BBC Radio Scotland today (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/z62tr/ ). On this morning's Fred MacAulay show he talked about the challenges of making friends when we get older or move to a new city. Making friends gets harder as we get older. Friendships develop over time, with repeated contact allowing for shared experiences and increasing intimacy. When we see people a lot and spend time with them we are more likely to become friends with them. This can become harder to manage when people have partners, families and busy jobs. Research shows we tend to make friends with people who support what psychologists term as our 'social identity' (how we see ourselves in the world). People we befriend often share our values, interests, sense of humour, etc. To make friends when you are a bit older, it is important to bear these facts in mind and use your time carefully. Focus on activiti...