The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World - Joe Keohane Audiobook

Written by Joe Keohane
Read by Jonathan Todd Ross
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Release date: July 13, 2021
Duration: 12:51:58

In our cities, we stand in silence at the pharmacy and in check-out lines at the grocery store, distracted by our phones, barely acknowledging one another, even as rates of loneliness skyrocket. Online, we retreat into ideological silos reinforced by algorithms designed to serve us only familiar ideas and like-minded users. In our politics, we are increasingly consumed by a fear of people we’ve never met. But what if strangers—so often blamed for our most pressing political, social, and personal problems—are actually the solution?

In The Power of Strangers, Joe Keohane sets out on a journey to discover what happens when we bridge the distance between us and people we don’t know. He learns that while we’re wired to sometimes fear, distrust, and even hate strangers, people and societies that have learned to connect with strangers benefit immensely. Digging into a growing body of cutting-edge research on the surprising social and psychological benefits that come from talking to strangers, Keohane finds that 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. And all the while, Keohane gathers practical tips from experts on how to talk to strangers, and tries them out himself in the wild, to awkward, entertaining, and frequently poignant effect.

Warm, witty, erudite, and profound, equal parts sweeping history and self-help journey, this deeply researched book will inspire readers to see everything—from major geopolitical shifts to trips to the corner store—in an entirely new light, showing them that talking to strangers isn’t just a way to live; it’s a way to survive.

With his enthusiasm and considerable vocal charm, narrator Jonathan Todd Ross brings to life this timely discussion of the joys of talking with strangers. His likable voice will make listeners smile as they listen to this pleasing combination of evolutionary history, social science, and the often heartwarming experiences of the author and others as they reached out to talk with strangers. Journalist Joe Keohane is especially persuasive as he explains how social contact, even with people we don’t agree with, can improve the way we think about ourselves and the world. Buoyed by a performance that is full of energy and clarity, this is a well-documented invitation to rethink our habit of avoiding strangers and limiting what we share with them. T.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award