Successful Relationships Reading Corner
This week, we wrote about how humans are a cooperative species, and so we should be grateful for each other. Here are some articles about friendship, loneliness and cooperation compared with competition.
Why Your Friends Are More Important Than You Think “Researchers and philosophers have explored in great detail the emotional dramas of love and family. But they’ve spent much less time pondering the deep satisfaction of a good friend. A similar thing happens in our own lives, writes science journalist Lydia Denworth. When something’s gotta give, it’s often our friendships, which take a backseat to our family and work obligations—or our latest fling. But that’s a mistake, she argues in her new book.”
The Impact of Social Isolation on Mental Health “Social isolation involves being cut off from contact with others. This can involve physical isolation but also refer to feeling emotionally disconnected from social interaction. People can become socially isolated both intentionally and unintentionally. While levels of social contact can vary over time, extended periods of social isolation can harm mental and physical well-being. Isolation has also been connected to a greater risk for medical conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, weakened immunity, and reduced overall longevity”
Competition or Cooperation? Understanding Human Behavior in Economic Analysis “Anybody familiar with economics, particularly with how economics is taught, will know full well how self-interest constrained by competition is regularly championed as a general recipe for progress. However, the complexity of the real-world seldom matches the simplicity of this recipe. Indeed, many situations require a concern with the interests of others, and of cooperation rather than competition. The fact that human behavior is guided by cooperation and concern for others would hardly be a revelation to the average person. So why isn’t such an obvious truth more evident within most economic analysis?”