Choiceology with Katy Milkman | S18 EP2
The Commuter's Paradox: Why We Misjudge Social Connection (With Nick Epley)
Are your instincts talking you out of your own happiness? Every day, we make split-second decisions to avoid the people around us. We put in our earbuds on the train, stare at our phones, and assume the stranger next to us prefers to be left alone. Our brain tells us that reaching out will be awkward or intrusive. But what if those instincts are wrong?
In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman, we look at the barriers we build between ourselves and the rest of the world, why we might misjudge the social value of a simple conversation, and how connecting more can make us happier and wiser.
Katy speaks with Nick Epley, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and the author of the new book A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection. They delve into Nick's lived experience of embracing social connection during a difficult moment in his family's life and the joyful, permanent difference it made. Then, Katy and Nick discuss the science behind our social fears and what happens when we choose not to follow our instincts.
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The books How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, Mindwise: How We Understand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want, A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection, and Revealing: The Underrated Power of Oversharing arenot affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (CS&Co.). Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (CS&Co.) has not reviewed the books and makes no representations about its content.