The Power of Strangers by Joe Keohane (Hardback)

£16.99
Out of stock
Product Ref. (e.g. ISBN, SKU)
9780241399132
Published:
15 Jul 2021
Format:
Hardback
Number of pages:
288 pages
Dimensions:
222x144x33mm
Weight:
0.468kgs
Author:
Throughout human history, our attitude to the stranger has determined the fate and wellbeing 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. In this book, with the help of sociologists, psychologists, neuroscientists, theologians, philosophers, political scientists and historians, Joe Keohane learns how we're wired to sometimes fear, distrust and even hate strangers, and discovers what happens to us when we indulge those biases. 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 can enhance empathy, happiness, and cognitive development, ease loneliness and isolation, and root us in the world, deepening our sense of belonging.

An exploration of why we don't talk to strangers, and the wonderful things that would happen if we did.

'In a thrilling, immersive journey across time and continents, Keohane upends everything we thought we knew about the people we don't know' Will Storr, author of The Science of Storytelling

When was the last time you spoke to a stranger?

In cities, we stand in silent buses and train carriages, ignoring each other.
Online, we retreat into silos and carefully curate who we interact with.
In our politics, we are increasingly consumed by a fear of people we've never met.

But what if strangers, long believed to be the cause of our problems, were actually the solution?

With the help of sociologists, psychologists, philosophers, political scientists and more, Joe Keohane sets out to investigate why we don't talk to strangers, and what happens when we do. From enhancing empathy, happiness and cognitive development to easing loneliness and isolation, passing encounters can root us in the world, deepening our sense of belonging.

Warm, witty and profound, this book will make you reconsider how you see others, and in doing so show us how talking to strangers is not just a way to live, it's a way to survive.

About the Author: Joe Keohane first saw interaction with strangers as the son of a funeral director. He has since practised talking with strangers as a journalist who has written and edited many types of stories for publications including Esquire, New York magazine, Wired, the Boston Globe and New Republic. He has also been the executive editor of Entrepreneur magazine. This is his first trade book.

More Information
Number of pages 288

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