The power of strangers : the benefits of connecting in a suspicious world / Joe Keohane.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Keohane, Joe, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Interpersonal relations.

Social interaction.

Strangers.

Genre:

Instructional and educational works.

Physical Description:

xix, 328 pages ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Random House, [2021]

Summary:

"In The Power of Strangers, journalist Joe Keohane takes us through an inquiry into our shared history, one that offers surprising and compelling insights into our own social and political moment. But if strangers seem to some to be the problem, history, data, and science show us that they are actually our solution. In fact, throughout human history, our address to the stranger, the foreigner, the marginalized, and the other has determined the fate and well-being of both nations and individuals. A raft of new science confirms that the more we open ourselves up to encounters with those we don't know, the healthier we are. Modern cities are vast clusters of strangers. Technology has driven many of us into silos of isolation. Through deep immersion with sociologists, psychologists, neuroscientists, theologians, philosophers, political scientists and historians, Keohane learns about how we're wired to sometimes fear, distrust, and even hate strangers; what happens to us--as individuals, groups, and as a culture--when we indulge those biases; and at the same time, he digs into a growing body of cutting-edge research on the surprising social and psychological benefits that come from talking to strangers; how even passing interactions with strangers can enhance empathy, happiness, and cognitive development, ease loneliness and isolation, and root us in the world, deepening our sense of belonging; how paradoxically, strangers can help us become more fully ourselves. Keohane explores the ways in which biology, culture, and history have defined us and our understanding of people we don't know"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: pt. I WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE TALK TO STRANGERS?

ch. 1 Strangers In A Classroom

ch. 2 A Readily Available Source Of Happiness That We Almost Never Take Advantage Of

ch. 3 Hello Through The Howdy Door

ch. 4 Human Makes Friend

ch. 5 How To Talk To Half A Dozen Strangers At Once

ch. 6 Talking To Strangers: Paleolithic Edition

ch. 7 Meet The Murderer And The Man From Another Dimension

ch. 8 How Humans Came To Rely On The Kindness Of Strangers

ch. 9 How To Listen To Strangers

ch. 10 The God Of Strangers

pt. II WHY DON'T WE TALK TO STRANGERS?

ch. 11 Strangers In The City

ch. 12 Why Are We So Afraid Of Strangers?

ch. 13 How Fear Of Strangers Can Make Us Friendly

ch. 14 How To Procreate With Strangers In Finland

pt. III HOW TO TALK TO STRANGERS

ch. 15 Okay, So When Are We Allowed To Talk To Strangers?

ch. 16 How To Talk To Strangers

ch. 17 Talking To Strangers In The Field

ch. 18 Talking To Them

ch. 19 How To Talk To Enemy Strangers

ch. 20 Upon Encountering A Stranger

ch. 21 A New Social Renaissance.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (page 307) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Keohane, Joe. Power of strangers

ISBN:

9781984855770

1984855778

OCLC:

1226074142