Simon Sinek on Why Strong Friendships Matter More Than Ever

Ever think about how our friends and community impact our habits? It turns out, the company we keep can help keep us on track.

Simon shares a surprising link between addiction and loneliness: By revisiting a famous rat experiment and its modern reinterpretation, he highlights how social bonds can reduce our vulnerability to addictive behaviors. As we navigate an increasingly digital world, the importance of fostering genuine friendships becomes clearer than ever.

Video from Brilliant Minds, June 2024, in conversation with @trevornoah

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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

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Simon’s books:

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#SimonSinek

[Gauoi]

My therapist once told me “that the opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection.” Thank you for your thoughts Simon!

[brain_respect_and_freedom]

Friends can either protect us from addiction or push us toward it, depending on whether they have positive or negative influences on you.

[WeylandLabs]

1:25 When Trevor leaned over and smarted thinking bigger ! You can see the impact and thought process on his face ... mine too community is everything !

[BeAlphaX]

Real Friends is a Treasure that you can have in your Life... Everyone must know this kind of Wisdom...

[avaleen]

Both of my "boyfriends" on the same stage. Can you stand it!?! Love this perspective on the power of community.

[daniel]

Definitely need to teach kids how to make and keep good friends! And also, how to exit out of unhealthy friendships, respectfully.

So important.

[divineeyes]

'Tell me your company and I'll tell you what you are', said a wise person to me once.

[BreakingBarriersDIY]

OMG. A real revelation <3 Thanks so much for this.

[annielin-invg]

Two legends! Is there any where that we can see the entire talk?

[JunichiroMorita-nx]

Your human movements are true movements.👏

[johnypanta]

two of the greatest souls of the century....

[Ishchattha]

Is there more to the interview? I would like to see the whole thing.

[RobyWanKenobi]

Not necessarily friendship but faith or anything bigger than your self.

[alexandrthoric]

In today's world, people connect with each other very easily. But not all of them become friends for different reasons. One of them is that people think about, "What is in it for me?" The very same reason keeps people away from each other. It happens in every single sector of human life.
I think the solution is that people need to be service-focused rather than self-focused. When we shift our mindset from how I can benefit from that connection to how I can add value to that person, it can change the world. Simon, what are your thoughts about it?

[monicaena]

Trevor seems so surprised about the result of the mouse experiment

[OlgaSunny-plsg]

The experiment with mice verses elephants would have produced different results as elephants don’t reproduce often it is every 7 years. I think a lot has to do is what your genetic deposition is like. I think this could be apply to addiction let’s expand and use addiction to alcoholism as an example.Many scientific studies, including research conducted children of alcoholics, have shown that genetic factors influence alcoholism.These findings show that children of alcoholics are about four times more likely than the general population to develop alcohol problems.

[joelcaesar]

Watching from Oyarifa, Mobile Season, Ghana

[jeremyherschler]

This interpretation of Alexander’s Rat Park study is flawed. The difference between being locked in a small cage with nothing to do and a rat park with wheels to run on, cans to hide in, and other rats to play with is quality of life, not friends.

[nandu]

You try to preach against getting drunk or against high from drugs, you by default becomes the lone wolf.