The Laws of Connection - David Robson

Start finding your new tribe. Registration for the next Designing Your New Life Group is now open. Learn more here. _______________________ Get smarter about social connections. Science journalist David Robson rejoins us to discuss his new book The Laws of Connection: The Scientific Secrets of Building a Strong Social Network. David Robson joins us from London. ________________________ Bio David Robson is an award-winning science writer specialising in the extremes of the human brain, body and behaviour. After graduating with a degree in mathematics from Cambridge University, he worked as a features editor at New Scientist for five years, before moving to BBC Future, where he was a senior journalist for five years. His writing has also appeared in the Guardian, the Atlantic, Aeon, Men’s Health and many more outlets. In 2021, David received awards from the Association of British Science Writers and the UK Medical Journalists’ Association for his writing on misinformation and risk communication during the COVID pandemic, and in 2022, he was a finalist for the Best British Science Journalist of the Year Award. David’s first book, The Intelligence Trap, was published in 2019, and received worldwide media attention. His second book The Expectation Effect was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week and won the British Psychological Society Book Award. His third book, The Laws of Connection, was published in June. ________________________ For More on David Robson Website The Laws of Connection:The Scientific Secrets of Building a Strong Social Network David's First Conversation with Us: The Expectation Effect ________________________ Podcast Episodes You May Like Self-Compassion – Dr. Kristin Neff How to Make New Friends in Retirement – Dr. Marisa G. Franco Will You Flourish or Languish? – Corey Keyes Happier Hour – Cassie Holmes, PhD' ________________________ Planning for retirement? Check out our recommended Best Books on Retirement. Some may surprise you... ________________________ Wise Quotes On The Importance of Social Connectivity "I was blown away really by the strength of the link between social connection and health and wellness. So we've known since the 1970s, that the number of social connections that people have and the quality of those connections can predict longevity and general health across the lifespan. So people who not only have more connections, but also feel really supported and understood by the people around them, do tend to live longer. And that's just been replicated hundreds of times. So the evidence base is really unquestionable, in my opinion. And we know that it at least equals the other lifestyle factors that we take for granted now, things like obesity, or remaining at a healthy weight, how much exercise you do, whether you smoke, whether you drink, whether you take medication for your hypertension - all of those things we accept as being important for our health and longevity. But when you look at the effect sizes, they've been measured in these huge studies, you find that people's social connection is just as important. I found that really surprising just how important it was."   On Meaning  "It was very clear to me that social connections are important, as C .S. Lewis said, for providing meaning in life.  C.S. Lewis claimed that they didn't have any survival value though, that friendship wasn't important for survival. And what this research really showed is that actually, it does give us meaning in our life, but it's also incredibly important just to live a long and healthy life. So, I wanted to try to do my part in raising this awareness and let people know, not just how important that is, but then how they can overcome those psychological barriers to achieve that connection that we all deep down really crave." On Cognitive Biases and Social Connection "So that's one bias.