In an effort to make the rest of us feel like a bunch of lazy slouches, my guest today is not only a sociologist but also a physician. Dr. Nicholas Christakis is a Yale professor who researches social networks and biosocial science and is the director of the Human Nature Lab. His bestselling 2009 book, Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, which he wrote with James Fowler, has long been one of my favorite books, so I’m thrilled to get to discuss his research with him. He’s since gone on to also write Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society and Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live. You can also watch his TED talk.
We began exploring his work in last week’s article on the Sociology of… Friendship, and in this conversation, we expand on many of those threads. He’s an incredible mind doing important work; I think you’ll really enjoy what he has to say. Watch / listen / or read along, and please join the conversation.
“To know who we are, we must understand how we are connected.”
"Your fate in life depends on where you are in your networks."
00:00 How Nicholas transitioned from studying death to social networks
11:00 Connection is an ongoing risk-reward calculation
13:10 Small talk: Facilitating “like at first sight”
20:00 The surprising universality of networks and connections
24:00 Technology’s role in retaining connections — is this biologically advantageous?
27:00 Strong vs weak ties and our epidemic of loneliness
32:00 The friend-to-loneliness ratio
38:35 Genetic predisposition for connection
41:35 The sociology of… politics from a network perspective
45:45 A remedy for extremism and division?
48:25 The social power of one vote
51:00 Nicholas’ favorite thing to observe
52:50 Nicholas is not musical… For real.
Decoding the Science of Friendship