It’s difficult to pick your friends

I’ve discussed the concept of not being able to pick your parents. For the overwhelming majority of minors, this is certainly the case. However, friendships work in an analogous way. We are typically friends with others with whom we share similar attributes with–attributes which are not necessarily within our control. The time and place also play important roles in friendship formation.

Yet, friendships are said to be important contributors to both our cognitive and physical well-being. For instance, we learned in medical school that your body mass index is actually very much dictated by the type of people you’re friends with. Unless you are an exclusionary or disagreeable person, you will tend to find friends through serendipitous interactions with people within your vicinity. There’s little strategy in the matter.

I’m not sure where I’m going with this post. Maybe I’m trying to make a case for solitude (if you feel that you don’t fit in).