A good friend brings her dogs when she stays with me. I kind of dread it. What can I do? | Leading questions
People often forget social rules when dogs are involved, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. But you’ll have to say something if you want things to changeRead more Leading questionsA good friend of mine stays with me regularly when she comes…
The dreadful decline of hosting at home: ‘I feel shame any time a friend comes over’
It used to be quite normal to pop next door for a coffee or invite friends over for dinner. But not any more. What’s behind this change – and just how damaging is it?‘I really loved hosting at home years ago, before I had kids, when my house wasn’t…
Esther Rantzen’s Mama was a lifeline for new mums | Letters
Fiona Lindop says she will always be grateful to the TV presenter for establishing the Meet-a-Mum Association Esther Rantzen (Obituary, 1 October) is rightly remembered and honoured for her wide-ranging charity work, including establishing Childline and…
Star Wars actor John Boyega on the day his 10-year-old school friend Damilola Taylor was killed: ‘It kept me up at night because I was just with the guy’
The star was just eight when his friend was stabbed. Decades on, he’s ready to talk about that day – how it shaped him, and how, as he becomes a father himself, it will shape him as a dad“I feel a bit nervous,” confesses John Boyega, as he sits down in…
My friends are spouting conspiracy theories – what should I say? | Ask Annalisa Barbieri
You can be curious about others’ beliefs without compromising your ownRecently, I had a conversation with a friend who explained that her ill health was down to reasons I would describe as dubious. Taking certain supplements and changing her…
‘There’s a lot of silence’: have we created a new ‘Lonely Generation’?
Learning to be one human among many has always been a little lonely and discombobulating. But young people around the world are lonelier than ever. Why?In September, a Reddit user identifying themselves as a 25-year-old man turned to the r/ForeverAlone…
‘It’s a deep soul connection’: Erasure on how 40 years of friendship got them through grief – and why Vince Clarke has quit touring
Returning for a 20th album of sumptuous synthpop, Andy Bell and Clarke open up about difficult recent years, being happily uncool and battling resurgent homophobiaAndy Bell is rabbiting away on multiple topics. There’s his farm in Mallorca, where he and…
I’ve made a new friend. But dare I show her the real me? | Polly Hudson
We hit it off, agreed to meet and suddenly we’re bosom buddies. But oh, the stress of always putting myself in the best possible lightI’ve got a new friend. I’m well aware I sound like a five-year-old reporting that, and this is exactly the point: it…
I love my life and my cup is full but I’m drowning in shame for things left undone. How can I balance it all? | Leading questions
You are not the only one, advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith writes. It will help to ask whether you have a time problem or a bandwidth problemRead more Leading questionsI love my life in so many ways. I have a rewarding job, I’m making stellar…
We’re in a crisis of loneliness – but is buying friends on an app likely to help solve it? | Elle Hunt
Shortcuts work against the rewards of friendship: authentic relationships can surely only be forged when you’re not expecting a return on your moneyWhat price would you put on friendship? In these hyper-capitalistic times, where nothing is beyond being…