Being curious about how your friends see the world is one of the best ways to keep them.

Friendships settle into a shared routine, where you know what somebody likes without knowing how they think, and that is how people slowly turn into familiar strangers. Asking what something was actually like for them, or why they see it differently from you, keeps a friendship alive rather than merely maintained. Being genuinely interested is also rarer than people expect, and it usually comes back to you.

Ask one friend something this week that is not about plans or gossip: how something felt, why they chose what they chose. Then listen without preparing your reply.