From the moment of birth to the moment of death, peoples' lives are intermingled and survival is determined by personal relationships. Those with strong ties live longer and in better health than people who are lonely or isolated. Yet scholarship has rarely considered personal relationships across the entire life span. This edited volume integrates research on people's relationships from childhood to later adulthood. Chapters look at specific types of relationships as well as at the functions that underlie them such as the way people think about relationships and their emotional reactions as...

This edited volume integrates research on people's relationships from childhood to later adulthood.

They punctuate our days, but we take them for granted: our barista, our car mechanic, our coworker. Yet these are the consequential strangers who bring novelty and new opportunities into our lives. In an unprecedented examination of "people who don't seem to matter," psychologist Karen L. Fingerman, who coined the term, collaborates with journalist Melinda Blau to develop an idea sparked by Fingerman and others' groundbreaking social science research. Drawing as well from Blau's wide-ranging interviews, this book presents a rich portrait of our social landscape, chronicling the surprising...