Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides - Softcover

Cohen, Geoffrey L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 132406594X ISBN 13: 9781324065944

Publisher: WW Norton & Co, 2023

Synopsis

Finalist for The Next Big Idea Bookclub • Book of the Year Selection Behavioral Scientist and Greater Good Society

“This is perhaps the richest book on belonging you’ll ever read.… The inspiration one draws from every page of this book is an enhanced sense of what is possible. It revives the very thing we need most in these times: hope.” ―Claude M. Steele, author of Whistling Vivaldi

We live in enormously polarised times. From politics to race, religion, gender and class, division runs rampant. In 2020, 40 percent of each political party said that supporters of the opposing party were “downright evil”. In 2019, hate crimes reached a ten-year high in the United States. One in five Americans suffers from chronic loneliness, with teenagers and young adults at increasing risk. Social ties at work, at school and in our communities have frayed. How did we become so alienated? Why is our sense of belonging so undermined? What if there were a set of science-backed techniques for navigating modern social life that could help us overcome our differences, create empathy and forge lasting connections even across divides? What if there were a useful set of takeaways for managers and educators of all stripes to create connection even during challenging times?

In Belonging, Geoffrey L. Cohen applies his and others’ ground-breaking research to the myriad problems of communal existence and offers concrete solutions for improving daily life at work, in school, in our homes, and in our communities. We all feel a deep need to belong, but most of us don’t fully appreciate that need in others. Often inadvertently, we behave in ways that threaten others’ sense of belonging. Yet small acts that establish connection, brief activities such as reflecting on our core values, and a suite of practices that Cohen defines as “situation-crafting” have been shown to lessen political polarisation, improve motivation and performance in school and work, combat racism in our communities, enhance health and well-being and unleash the potential in ourselves and in our relationships. Belonging is essential for managers, educators, parents, administrators, caregivers and everyone who wants those around them to thrive.

About this title

About the Author

Geoffrey L. Cohen is professor of psychology and the James G. March Professor of Organizational Studies in Education and Business at Stanford University.

Edition details

• Publisher: WW Norton & Co
• Publication date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 132406594X
• ISBN 13: 9781324065944
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 448