Apr 23, Eustacia Tan rated it liked it. This book and I got off to a bad start. In the introduction, it said "it's illegal to buy or sell organs for transplantation everywhere in the world except Iran and Singapore. If what I read about Iran was right I don't know the relevant act, so I didn't look it up , it's legal for citizens to sell their kidneys for profit, something that is illegal in Singapore.
What Singapore is doing is similar to what Australia is doing and if you listen to that article, they're not the only two countries. So the author was mistaken to include Singapore - if she wanted to make compensation a form of buying and selling, then she should have included Australia and any other countries who do the same. Anyway, after that rocky start to the book, I thought it was interesting. The book is basically about how face-to-face contact can really, really help our health, and how screen time may not be as beneficial as we think it is although the technology is useful.
The author goes out of her way to stress that she's not a technophobe, but that she wants more contact for people. Of course, after the whole including Singapore in list of countries that allow the selling of organs because of misunderstanding a law and then suddenly correctly understanding that Australia's stance , I'm more than a little hesitant to let believe all her interpretations of the studies.
This is a readable book, and I do want to find out more about the subject. Does anyone know of a similar book, where someone else looks at the same studies and comes up with their own conclusions? Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review. This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile View 2 comments. May 25, Jo-anne rated it it was amazing. A fascinating book that has helped me unravel the mystery of why my time in Mexico is so healing for me.
I don't have the same life responsibilities there, have no tv and little availability of phone, so I am freed up to enjoy the smorgasbord of face-to-face contact that studies have shown extend life by "fortifying your immune system, calibrating your hormones, and rejigging how the genes that govern your behavior and resilience are expressed.
Author Susan Pinker has handed the baton to me. It is now my responsibility to build social interactions to all aspects of my life.
The life I am saving is mine to save. Really great book explaining how face-to-face contact is important and how it's better than what happens through social media and emails. You need peers to become a centenarian. And introverts. Please read this. Introverts need people too. View all 3 comments. May 02, Nadine rated it liked it. Aug 02, Mano Chil rated it really liked it Shelves: social-sciences. Such a joy to have read this book.
Connection, connection and connection. It's what keeps us away from depression and balanced. No wonder females live longer than men because they priorities bonding and connecting deeply with their friends, family and during social events. Although Pinker goes into technical details which is more than my taste, I highly recommend this book for the sanity of humanity. Oct 29, Deb Readerbuzz Nance rated it really liked it Shelves: nonfiction , community , health. Susan Pinker in The Village Effects sets out with the question: Does face-to-face contact make us healthier, happier, and smarter?
Then she draws upon extensive research to show why the answer to that question is yes, yes, and yes. May 04, James rated it it was amazing. Susan Pinker wrote a tremendously fascinating book.
She investigates the link between an active social circle and its effect on health and longevity. She punches several sacred cows that deal with internet contact and how it fails to live up to it's grand claims. In the book a study was commissioned to explore the effect a parent's reassurances had to a child about an upcoming test.
The most effect came from face-to-face interaction. The second from a phone call. Turns out a text message made pr Susan Pinker wrote a tremendously fascinating book. Turns out a text message made practically no effect on the child.
In other words it was just as good as saying nothing. Human interaction and communication best takes place in person. There are things that just cannot be said online and topics were nuance should be prized above brevity. She gives a handy prescription at the end that emphasizes that being isolated behind a screen talking to electronic avatars is not the same as a living in a a real village.
Jan 21, Daria rated it really liked it. Interesting book about how meaningful social ties affect our lives, health and wellbeing. View 1 comment. Aug 19, Julie Hudson rated it really liked it. Very interesting book - made special effort to talk to my children rather than text them and have been persuading Scott he needs to marry me for his own health benefits as well as my own.
Let's live in a commune - it's good for our health, I like that idea. I liked that this book was peer reviewed by Stephen Pinker, Susan's brother and Daniel Pink author of Drive - what a lot of pinkness. Apr 05, Alex Nathanson rated it it was amazing.
Written a few years before the COVID pandemic, this came to be a prescient book with the seemingly basic premise that people are intricately connected to the people around them and they thrive off of this connection. There is no substitute for this and our many attempts to replicate human connection, either through social media, video chat etc have proven this to be the case.
Nov 27, Craig added it Shelves: nonfiction , thesis-paper. The basic argument of this book is that people need face-to-face interaction. Unfortunately, today there is less and less relationship and community; instead there are virtual communities and online interactions on social media.
These, however, don't cut it. Studies have shown that we need actual person-to-person in real life contact with others. If we do this, we will be smarter, healthier, and happier. Aug 11, Christine rated it really liked it. Stumbled across this book while doing research on loneliness. Lots of food for thought Jul 23, Adam rated it it was amazing. Second time reading this book. Read it when it first came out but thought it important to revisit with everything that's been going on.
Susan Pinker illustrates the monumental importance of social contacts, especially face to face interactions. Given we are at a severe challenge of doing exactly that, I think it's worth considering that there are repercussions to all decisions. Interacting with others socially is not a simple luxury but a need which people have and not having it can have a sever Second time reading this book. Interacting with others socially is not a simple luxury but a need which people have and not having it can have a severe negative impact on one's health.
The book clearly lays out how loneliness makes one more prone to a number of health problems and can lead to early death, one of the main reasons for which men live shorter lives than women. In an increasingly digital world it was worth a reminder of how bad some of the devices we use are for us, and especially for children.
A good review of the down sides to popular and trendy programs to introduce laptop and now iPads into classrooms. Quality teachers and face to face interacts are the key to a child's development.
Worth considering now that large numbers of children are being taught virtually during the pandemic, with full time access to machines which are more likely to be a source of distraction than a tool to improve learning. A high quality, thorough, evidence based book that clearly establishes the importance of face to face interactions for people of all ages. Everyone should read this book, especially now that the topic has become so important!
May 21, Claudia rated it really liked it. I picked up this book because, being a social media user, I was curious about what the author had to say on this subject.
I have to admit that by the end of it my little introverted self is actually looking forward to getting out there to meet more people. It's something that has wavered throughout my life, and while I'm one of those who feels she has a strong online support system, there's just something about face-to-face interaction that just can't be beat. There were some sections of this bo I picked up this book because, being a social media user, I was curious about what the author had to say on this subject.
There were some sections of this book that I found really interesting and others that I ended up skimming through because they weren't relevant to my situation. I'm now living many states away from my family and don't even know my immediate neighbors' names or even recognize what they look like. Growing up it was a bit different but not to the point described in the book. So simple, yet the results were very noticeable. The main idea in this book is that people need face-to-face contact with real people in order to be mentally healthy and happy.
She gives a lot of research findings to back up her argument and there are plenty of references. Do people with lots of friends and family live longer because their active social life to protect them from cardiovascular events and cancer?
Or are the type of people who seek out lots of interaction with friends, children, parents, cousins, neighbours, and colleagues simply the type of folks who are also biologically destined to live long healthy lives, come what may? They only have research on rats. Who knows if the results can be applied to humans? However she does give the example of children placed in orphanages as infants and given very little attention or affection, who grow up to have enormous developmental challenges later in life, even if they are adopted by a stable family.
However she seems to conflate isolation and loneliness at times, which is confusing since they are very different things. Our backgrounds, networks, and interests are similar so our sources of gossip overlap. Week ties offer bridges to novel information. The Internet provides many weak connections. In previous generations, families lived closer together and people expected to look after both the children in the younger generation and those in the older generation.
In most western civilisations, that village tradition has fallen away. The rituals: crying, chanting, singing, swaying and rocking together in the same room feels good. Food is another form of social glue. People get a lot of pleasure from providing food for other people as well as consuming food themselves.
Being married allows men to share the health benefits of the bonds created by their wives. When they lose their spouses, men are at a heightened risk of sudden death or suicide because of extreme loneliness. Women, who tend to have more social supports, are not. The more types of face to face ties you sustain, both close relationships and the weaker ties with people who regularly cross your path, the better you will be at warding off the grim reaper.
Live in a community where you know and talk to your neighbours. Build real human contact into your day. Save email for logistics. Use phone or face time for more nuanced interaction. Create a village of diverse relationships. Built in social contact with members of this village to where you working meals and exercise.
Everyone needs close human contact. Screen time is not the same as face-to-face time. Although at the beginning of the book she acknowledges that introverts find it harder to socialise, by the end of the book she is still saying that social contact is essential to well-being. Also I would argue with her rejection of online contact as being almost worthless compared to face-to-face time with real people. Clearly she's never been a member of Goodreads for a start!
So, on average 2 stars. Most thinking people already know that humans are social animals, ergo socialization is good for many outcomes, and lack of it bad. For me and no doubt some others , her message is akin to how-to-succeed in stocks: "buy low, sell high. Being a life-long loner eg, me is a consequence of many factors personality, genetics, nurture, reje 4-stars for research and presentation. Being a life-long loner eg, me is a consequence of many factors personality, genetics, nurture, rejection by others, etc , and makes it almost impossible to become a "joiner", even if you were to enjoy the face-to-face company of others rarely in my case or wanted to mix-in.
Especially at age So, if you're like me, just keep going to the gym and avoid cigarettes and junk food. I have, over the years, made the effort to join some groups and show enthusiasm , but invariably after time, sometimes years, it was clear I'm slow to pick up on signals that my presence wasn't appreciated and my enthusiasm not reciprocated.
Now, older and wiser, I don't bother 'reaching out. Goodreads really should have a zero rating or an "avoid at all costs" rating. In absence of those ratings I had to give this book a one star as that is the lowest permitted. I am not a medical doctor, nor have I reviewed the numerous studies referenced by the authors in this book. That being said, my common sense BS alarm was screaming as I read this book. The authors claims that studies shows that face to face contact can increase life span by up to 15 years and lead to illnesses recovering more Goodreads really should have a zero rating or an "avoid at all costs" rating.
The authors claims that studies shows that face to face contact can increase life span by up to 15 years and lead to illnesses recovering more quickly. They then claim that studies show that stress has no impact what so ever on cancer causation and recovery time. Again, I am no doctor or academic, but something seems amiss with how these studies were positioned in the book. I also found that the book stated the obvious about virtual vs. Skip this one, it's not worth your valuable time.
Jun 22, Pam Mooney rated it really liked it. Very insightful with research to back up topics presented. The conversational tone presents topics in a way all experience levels can comprehend. Whether you are researching the topic or a curious amateur this book delivers. Dec 23, Leesa Charlotte rated it it was amazing Shelves: on-the-bookshelf. So many great insights!
A must-read for anyone who works in community run organisations or management, but really for everyone! Sep 08, Diane rated it did not like it. I guess you get lucky in your home town, your family, and your personality, or you are out of luck? Jun 09, Andrey rated it did not like it. I was so excited for this book, the wife of Steven Pinker writing about social science.
But no, this book is just bad science. Inconclusive and assumptive. Susan jumps to conclusions based on nothing but the idea that socialization is good, therefore the conclusion of any experiment must prove so.
Certainly there must be some experiments that prove socialization can be detrimental for you health. Else the experiments are meaningless. If the result of every single experiment is positive, I was so excited for this book, the wife of Steven Pinker writing about social science. If the result of every single experiment is positive, you're proving nothing. You're just a fanatic creating a religion. This is what this book is really, a religion for socialization based on no conclusive evidence what so ever.
Come on, there is no evidence that the cause is dinner time. It could be simply improved vocabulary, or socialization. Surely any child who talks for 30 minutes everyday to someone with a wealth of knowledge will preform better as an adult. That's no test for socialization. Could be simply parents who have time to eat with their children, simply have time to help their children with homework, or provide money for college education.
Most impressively, Susan Pinker explores how gender and invisible social forces play into our daily lives. Pinker is a great storyteller and a thoughtful scholar, and she expertly blends together personal stories and scientific research about marriage, cancer, obesity, happiness, longevity, religion, menstrual synchrony, solitary confinement, and much more.
This is an important book, one that will shape how we think about the increasingly virtual world we all live in.
We long to belong. Written with verve, warmth, and style, it presents new science about what matters — raising healthy kids, leading a long and engaged life, being successful at work and play. This is a gem of a book!
Pinker shows us crucial personal interactions are essential to true human feelings. Brilliant and compelling. Why is face-to-face so much better than Facebook? Susan Pinker has the answers. With her usual flair and expertise, she combines the latest neuroscience and social psychology with stories of villagers in Sardinia, nuns in America and the dating scene in Montreal.
So do I. But as Susan Pinker shows in this terrific book, electronic communication can never replace our deeply rooted, fundamentally human need for face-to-face interaction. Drawing on cutting edge research in social neuroscience, and supplementing the science with case studies and sharp observations, Pinker makes a hardheaded case for a softhearted virtue. Read this book. Then talk about it — in person! This lively and meticulously researched book shows that face-to-face human interactions—not computer mediated communication—are key to our well-being.
Direct and frequent human contact are at least as important to our survival as clean air or good nutrition. Not so, says Pinker. With a raft of surprising data, this compulsively readable book reminds us that loneliness and isolation are our blights--other people are the source of our happiness. The Agenda with Steve Paikin 1. The Agenda with Steve Paikin 2. HuffPost Live. Global News : The Morning Show.
Hawaii Public Radio. Conversations: Seattle. WGN Radio. The Mara Dolan Show. Audio Book Blog: The Commentary. Tech Insider. The Guardian.
The Sunday Times. The Mindful Word. Psycho Therapy Networker. Kansas City Star. Vancouver Sun: Susan Pinker on our lonely, online lives. Fast Company.
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