A meticulously researched and buoyantly written” (Esquire) look at what happens when we talk to
strangers and why it affects everything from our own health and well-being to the rise and
fall of nations in the tradition of Susan Cain’s Quiet and Yuval Noah Harari’s SapiensThis
lively searching work makes the case that welcoming ‘others’ isn’t just the bedrock of
civilization it’s the surest path to the best of what life has to offer.”—Ayad Akhtar
Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Homeland ElegiesIn 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.
