My new feature for The Atlantic magazine is called "The Anti-Social Century." It's a long article that revolves around a simple point: Americans are now spending more time alone than ever. This surging solitude is changing our personalities, our politics, our culture, and our relationships. On this episode, University of Chicago psychologist Nick Epley joins ... Show More
Sep 15
Why Experts Keep Getting the Economy So Wrong
Expert economists keep making predictions about America’s financial future, and those predictions keep being … wrong. Over the past few years, we’ve heard warnings about a recession, inflation, tariffs, wars, deficits, and an AI bubble, yet the economy continues chugging along. T ... Show More
58m 51s
Sep 11
What’s the Point of College?
Trust in American higher education is near a historic low. Tuition has soared, and the payoff for a college degree is now in question as graduates face a weird and challenging job market. Simultaneously, AI is transforming everything around them, from academic fraud to job applic ... Show More
56m 50s
Mar 2025
No, There Isn’t a Loneliness Epidemic (And That May Be an Even Bigger Problem)
Face-to-face socializing in America has declined by more than 20% nationwide. Among some groups, like young adults and unmarried men, the drop is closer to 40%.But strangely, this hasn’t led to the loneliness epidemic that you hear so much about. Instead, we’re seeing a new pheno ... Show More
53m 6s
Jan 2025
Ep. 336: On Screens and Solitude
In a recent article for The Atlantic, Derek Thompson writes about the troubling trends toward increased solitude. In this episode, Cal looks at the role technology plays in these trends, pointing out some surprising factors and then using these insights to come up with a practica ... Show More
1h 32m
<p> <!-- wp:paragraph {"dropCap":true,"beyondwordsMarker":"fca6109f-4a17-4e44-bca3-3f9563cfcf6c"} --></p> <p class="has-drop-cap">A <a href= "https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/02/america-decline-hanging-out/677451/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recent ar ... Show More
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Today, a conversation with Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on how loneliness is posing a profound public health threat in the United States. </span></p><p><br></p><p>Read more:</p><p><br></p><p><span style="co ... Show More