The New York TimesThe New York Times

Why Your Social Life Is Not What It Should Be

By David Brooks

25 Aug 2022 · 3 min read

Editor's Note

With the evolution of tech and in our post-pandemic world, we navigate this society without as little interaction as possible. Read this article to find out where we are going wrong.

One day Nicholas Epley was commuting by train to his office at the University of Chicago. As a behavioral scientist he’s well aware that social connection makes us happier, healthier and more successful and generally contributes to the sweetness of life. Yet he looked around his train car and realized: Nobody is talking to anyone! It was just headphones and newspapers.

Questions popped into his head: What the hell are we all doing here? Why don’t people do the thing that makes them the most happy?

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