Nicole Saleh

Not sure how well Curtis was paying attention to the book. The author is a New York Times reporter, and began interviewing experts in the field (from various angles; neuroscientists, psychologists, people who rely heavily on listening skills for their jobs such as hostage negotiators for the CIA or people who conduct research in focus groups for businesses, etc.) It was incredibly insightful, well-written, and cited many studies from various research areas. I have a BA of honors in psychology and I recognized some of them. I didn’t always agree with everything in the book, but it was a fresh perspective on what seems to be a forgotten or overlooked issue. I’m not surprised that people are defensive about it, because she critiques social media and the lack of community in modern America, as well as an extreme political polarization in recent years where people have become hostile toward someone else appearing to disagree with them on political matters (regardless of party affiliation). She postulates the various effects of these things on society. A worthy read if you don’t mind having your worldview challenged.