A Mental Health Expert Details the Role of 'Wednesday Waffles' in Strengthening Relationships
As we age, it becomes easier to lose contact or feel distanced from individuals we used to spend time with daily. We often forget that friendships, much like romantic relationships, require effort to flourish. With our busy lives and new responsibilities, these bonds can start to pale compared to their former strength, but small and deliberate actions can revive them.
The trend of "Wednesday Waffles" online might help you achieve this. It's a simple tradition where friends share a brief, one to two-minute video update on their lives each week, whether it's good, bad or filled with random events. This trend strikes a balance between feeling more personal than a text and being less of a commitment than a regularly scheduled phone call.
The goal is to maintain consistency without the pressure of planning lengthy conversations, all while keeping things fun. This will not only help you feel connected with friends but also instill the habit of prioritizing these friendships in your life. It serves as a reminder that nurturing friendship doesn't have to be complicated; it just requires a little intentionality and a couple of minutes each week.
Here are two reasons why popular trends like "Wednesday Waffles" can preserve your friendships and enrich your life.
1. Rituals Can Enhance Your Friendships
Rituals play a significant role in strengthening connections. Michael Norton, a professor at Harvard Business School, discussed the importance of rituals in his talk titled "Why Rituals Matter."
"It turns out that when groups of people perform rituals together, it has some quite intriguing psychological effects. Rituals aren't necessarily good or bad, but they're powerful, and they really seem to have strange effects on our thoughts, feelings and behavior," Norton said.
He described an experiment where participants were divided into groups, some of which performed a simple ritual together, while others only engaged in conversation. The results were fascinating. Groups that had participated in a ritual cooperated better—they communicated more effectively, remained more organized, and argued less than groups that hadn't participated in a ritual.
Norton also shared an emotional moment from the experiment. The group that had performed the ritual approached one of his students and asked if they could exchange emails to stay in touch. This gesture demonstrated how powerful rituals can be in sustaining connections.
"Wednesday Waffles" serve as a consistent ritual to stay connected, creating a sense of closeness and continuity in friendships, no matter the distance or commitments in one's life.
2. Wednesday Waffles Serve as a Heartfelt Reminder of Your Support System
At the center of all our relationships is a deep human desire to belong. It's about nurturing meaningful connections that make us feel seen and understood.
Simple rituals like "Wednesday Waffles" are a reminder of the emotional support we have in our lives, and they show our loved ones that we are always there for them and care about their well-being.
Additionally, while our world may seem more digitally connected than ever, loneliness is increasing. Meaningful connections help reduce feelings of loneliness and stress, allowing us to better confront life's challenges and remain more motivated to maintain connections with others.
In her TEDx talk, "Frientimacy: The 3 Requirements of All Healthy Friendships," author Shasta Nelson explained that positivity, consistency, and vulnerability move relationships from superficial to truly meaningful.
A 2024 study also published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships confirmed that spending time together and sharing positive experiences help build trust-filled friendships.
As we consistently spend time together, we also begin to understand what predictable behavior looks like. Trust grows when we no longer feel unsure of how someone will respond. Nelson emphasized that we feel safe when we can predict others' reactions, and this predictability is built through time and shared experiences, which weekly interactions can help us achieve.
Nelson also suggested that we only feel loved when we feel truly known, and we can only be known if we allow others to see us. The third requirement—vulnerability—involves sharing our authentic selves, be it by discussing insecurities, accomplishments, dreams, past traumas, or future goals. Such sharing reminded us of the strong community that supports us through it all.
So, dedicating just a couple of minutes each week to strengthen these pillars of friendship can contribute to resilient connections for years to come. In a world where our schedules often dictate our lives, this ritual reminds us that meaningful connections don't require grand gestures; they flourish with consistency, intention, and a willingness to show up, even in the simplest ways.
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- Shasta Nelson, in her TEDx talk "Frientimacy: The 3 Requirements of All Healthy Friendships," stresses that positivity, consistency, and vulnerability are essential for transforming superficial relationships into meaningful ones.
- Mark Travers, a team activities expert, believes that engaging in shared activities with friends can help reduce stress and foster stronger bonds, reinforcing the importance of consistency and intentionality in preserving friendships.
- Rituals like "Wednesday Waffles" can also help combat feelings of loneliness, as they serve as a reminder of the emotional support system we have in our lives and encourage vulnerability by allowing us to share our authentic selves with friends.
- According to Michael Norton's Harvard Business School research, rituals can significantly improve group dynamics, leading to better communication, cooperation, and overall relationship health.
- By participating in these intentional rituals, friends may develop stronger relationships, relying on one another to provide emotional support and reducing stress during challenging times, a testament to the power of healthy friendships in promoting overall wellbeing.
