The Know Daily - Thursday 15 May 2025

_{Read in 4m 55s ∙ Listening to Lorde ∙}

A Dutch nursing home is giving college students free rent in exchange for spending time with older residents. From shared meals to movie nights, it’s bridging generations in the most meaningful way. The students get a place to live (without eating instant noodles every night), and the residents get company, laughter and a bit of youthful energy. More of this, please 💞

👯 Friendship marriages

Because love isn’t always romantic – and that’s kind of the point.

Tell me more…
Once upon a time, marriage was about land, dowries, and aligning surnames. Then came romance. Now, a growing number of people are choosing to marry their best friends – platonically. No grand gestures, no long-stemmed roses, no pressure for passion. Just deep emotional intimacy, shared values, and the commitment to build a life together as friends. These so-called “friendship marriages” or “platonic life partnerships” are cropping up everywhere, from the US to Japan. Think of it as the ultimate expression of a chosen family.

Hang on, who’s doing this?
China is currently facing a declining birth rate as well as an ageing population. The government’s efforts to tackle this have been to encourage single people to get married, with President Xi Jinping calling for a "new type of marriage and childbearing culture”. Many singles see friendship marriages as a chance to “avoid gossip”. Romance? It’s optional. 

This trend is also making its way into the western world with women in particular embracing it. Many are exhausted by the emotional labour of romantic relationships and are finding more stability – and joy – in deep friendships. It's especially resonant among queer people and women who’ve felt let down by traditional dating dynamics.

But why now?
Because the rules of relationships are changing. The dream isn’t always a white dress and a white-picket fence. For many, it’s emotional safety, a stable home, and even practicalities like another pair of hands to walk the dog. Platonic partnerships make room for different kinds of intimacy – the kind that doesn’t hinge on lust or candlelit date nights. As friendship spouses, Satsuki and Minato said, "we are comrades-in-arms who live together”.

Anything else I should know?
These marriages are legally valid and, according to research, emotionally resilient. Studies show that friendship is one of the strongest predictors of long-term relationship satisfaction, even in romantic partnerships. So it makes sense that some people would skip the messy bits and just… marry their friend. Of course, friendship marriages aren’t for everyone but they remind us that love comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. As the saying goes: marry your best friend. Some people just mean it literally.

🌎 Corporate climate shift: There’s been a significant uptick in European companies lobbying for stronger climate policies, according to a new report.

• The bigger story: This shift indicates a growing corporate commitment to climate action, challenging the narrative that businesses view green regulations solely as obstacles to profit. Whilst some industry associations lag behind, progress is underway with the number of companies aligned to limiting warming rising from 3% in 2019 to 23% in 2025.

📱 AI animation: TikTok has unveiled a new AI-powered tool called “AI Alive” that will allow you to turn photos into videos based off a prompt.

🔭 Perceiving planets: A NASA spacecraft has detected the first aurora over Mars that’s visible to the human eye.

👩‍🏫 Leaving London: Thousands of civil servants are to be moved out of London under plans to save money and shift government jobs to offices across the country.

🧠 Escaping exhaustion: A study has found that being “overworked" could affect the part of the brain linked with problem-solving and memory – here are some useful tips to help avoid burnout. 

🦎 First footprints: Scientists in Australia have identified the oldest known fossil footprints of a reptile-like animal, dated to around 350 million years ago. (Fun fact - our editor Hannah worked on the oldest amphibian footprints in the UK 🐊)

🧙‍♀️ Mystical movie: The release date for the trailer of Wicked: For Good has finally been confirmed – here’s everything you need to know about the sequel (I hear we’ll be needing even more tissues this time round…)

Help your friends feel better about the news. Get them to sign up using your personalised code 👉 https://theknowmedia.beehiiv.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER

⭐ Get clicking - this tells our partners that readers are interested in The Know. Let’s get started with this one!

⭐ Add us to your contacts or primary inbox - this makes sure we reach your inbox (and everyone else’s) each morning.

The Know is on a mission to help everyone start their day feeling informed and hopeful. We only recommend things we genuinely love but sometimes we make money from the links and content we share. This directly supports keeping our journalism free for all.

Trivia answer: A) Locals say a series of multi-million pound developments have attracted the rich and famous in Cornwall.

How did you find today’s email?
😍 Loved it! | 😕 Could be better…

Need fewer emails? Click here to hear from us once a week.