Adam discusses themes from ‘The Village Effect’ by author and psychologist Susan Pinker who posits that face-to-face contact is crucial for learning, happiness, resilience and longevity. In a related segment, Darren looks at data to determine if there is evidence to support reports that we’re currently experiencing a loneliness epidemic.
Download direct: mp3 file
The Village Effect
The Village Effect – Susan Pinker
The ingenious ways we’re working around COVID-19 restrictions – Susan Pinker – The Globe and Mail
Explaining the Internet Paradox: Book Review of “The Village Effect”
Is There A Loneliness Epidemic?
Our World in Data – Is there a loneliness epidemic
Our World in Data – Loneliness and Social Connections
Great episode as ever. Having a common theme for the segments is great, especially if recorded at the same time so that the hosts can build on them.
But to my point: THANK YOU, ADAM! For over three decades I’ve been begging parents to not just dump their children in front of “the electronic babysitter” (starting in the TV days) while they go off to do their own things. This is despite being very much “a computer type” myself.
You pretty much hit every point, especially how chatting, playing games, and watching videos do not equate to “being good at computers.” Also, just like you don’t let a child use a calculator to solve mathematics problems before they know the basics, they probably shouldn’t be reading or typing their work until they’re proficient at writing things out. (Constant editing yourself while writing is bad, m’kay? Oh, and don’t get me started about hunt & peck typing!)
Also, constant distraction? No thanks. That’s why I go outside and listen to my favorite podcast on a simple MP3 player. (Hint: The hosts are all from a place that begins with C… but that’s true of my three favorite podcasts. 🙂 )
BTW, have you seen any concern about face masks making it harder for young children to gauge the emotions of others? Not a problem at home, sure, but if everyone is masked at school or wherever then I wonder if it could have odd effects.
Thanks again, you cool Canadian folks. Be well.
Thanks Rich! It’s still hard not to have a kid want to watch TV, a phone or an iPad all the time but it’s a constant struggle! Back in my day watching TV was the “bad thing” and now there are so many other bad things that watching TV is less terrible than having an iPad or equivalent! Displacement seems to be the big thing here so it’s really just about challenging them to do other things.
I hadn’t seen any specifics about kids and face masks. For sure that’s a concern I have with my not quite two year old who’s been learning to talk during the pandemic. All of the daycare providers, with whom the kids spend 7 to 8 hours a day, wear masks so I suspected this could be an issue with his slight delay in speaking but (no joke) the professional opinion of his doctor is that he just has a bit of trouble because of his chubby cheeks! I think he’ll be fine.