The village effect
"Resonating with our most profound life experiences, this book explains why we trust other people and form lifelong bonds, and why we ignore these connections at our peril. Pinker answers crucial questions about human relationships in a digital age, such as: How important is face-to-face interaction as children develop new skills, when adults fall in love, when they negotiate business transactions, and as they age? How did humans evolve such finely-tuned barometers of trust and betrayal--and do these mechanisms work if you're not face-to-face with your partner? Why are women so often the catalysts of social change? To understand these questions, Pinker turns to compelling human stories combined with cutting-edge science"
Stats for nerds
2recommend
4mentions
2people
2016–2023years
100% recommend
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- First off, bravo for sharing. Much respect.
That said, this is borderline navel gazing. Stop thinking about "what it's like to go swimming" and jump in the lake. Yes, you'll get wet, look stupid, and make a mess. There's no way around that. The sooner the better.
If you need to reason yourself into the water, I recommend "The Village Effect." Statistically, humans fair better with a rich tapestry of relationships. Are you ready to bet your life on being the exception? Move over, Pascal.
More pointedly, can you really say you've examined life and lived it fully if you've never shared it intimately with another person? Can someone say they understand the world if they've never left their home? Do you want to be that person?
- Excellent books explaining the need for face-to-face communication are "The Village Effect" by Susan Pinker (humans need face-to-face socializing to enhance mental health, and feel all the happy juices like endorphins, oxytocin, etc), and "The Master and his Emmisary", by Iain McGilchrist. Basically, all the techy geek work a dev does makes them very left-hemisphere (predominant brain region). And the left hemisphere is "sticky": once you over-use it, it's hard to stop using it predominantly. In the right hemisphere is where the empathy is, ability to catch nuance, metaphor, and facial micro-expressions, and the ability to use "Theory of Mind" - appreciating the unique individual perspectives of others.
*Too much left-brain, and communication is doomed to suck!!*
- If you like this you may also enjoy "The Village Effect" by Susan Pinker[1]. In the book the author documents various ways in which social connectedness impacts our well being.
As this article and book say "loneliness kills", but what does that mean for those of us who want to live long and healthy lives? Do we need to start scheduling social time alongside gym time? Will a hug a day keep the doctor away? Should we join organized religions or get married strictly for the health benefits?
[1]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22933077-the-village-eff...
- If you find this interesting you may enjoy The Village Effect[1] by Susan Pinker. It's a more in-depth look at this phenomenon.
If social isolation is as deadly as smoking or not exercising, should we approach the problem with a similar level of seriousness? Maybe we need "social exercise" three times a week, and if we aren't getting it naturally should contrive a way to get it much like going to the gym.
[1]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18167005-the-village-eff...
