1 00:00:15,476 --> 00:00:24,236 Speaker 1: Pushkin. It was a Thursday night ritual in the Santos House. 2 00:00:24,876 --> 00:00:27,596 Speaker 1: Like families all over America, we'd settle in front of 3 00:00:27,636 --> 00:00:30,476 Speaker 1: the TV to watch a sitcom that, from the opening 4 00:00:30,476 --> 00:00:34,276 Speaker 1: bars of its theme song, really spoke to me. That 5 00:00:34,356 --> 00:00:35,476 Speaker 1: show was Cheers. 6 00:00:35,596 --> 00:00:37,796 Speaker 2: Cheers from before a live studio audience. 7 00:00:37,756 --> 00:00:39,836 Speaker 1: Kind of like ten Pounds, a comedy about a bar 8 00:00:39,876 --> 00:00:43,276 Speaker 1: in Boston owned by washed up baseball star Sam Malone. 9 00:00:43,316 --> 00:00:45,196 Speaker 2: You've changed letters, no cants. 10 00:00:45,676 --> 00:00:47,836 Speaker 1: The jokes spring from the ups and downs of the 11 00:00:47,836 --> 00:00:51,956 Speaker 1: bars slightly oddball roster of staff and clientele, from prissy 12 00:00:52,036 --> 00:00:55,916 Speaker 1: psychiatrist Frasier Crane to beer loving accountant Norm Peterson. 13 00:00:58,236 --> 00:01:01,956 Speaker 2: I like drinking there north same. Oh that's too bad. 14 00:01:03,036 --> 00:01:04,916 Speaker 1: I was just a kid when Cheers was on the air. 15 00:01:05,436 --> 00:01:07,956 Speaker 1: I hadn't tasted my first beer, and most of the 16 00:01:08,036 --> 00:01:09,116 Speaker 1: jokes went over my head. 17 00:01:09,316 --> 00:01:11,756 Speaker 2: The Hindus believed that you led a good life. Do 18 00:01:11,876 --> 00:01:14,796 Speaker 2: you come back and in elevated state like Colorado? 19 00:01:16,316 --> 00:01:19,876 Speaker 1: Yet I loved Cheers. I fantasized that as an adult, 20 00:01:19,956 --> 00:01:22,196 Speaker 1: I'd move to Boston and hang out in a place 21 00:01:22,436 --> 00:01:24,556 Speaker 1: just like that, night after night after night. 22 00:01:24,876 --> 00:01:25,356 Speaker 2: It could be. 23 00:01:25,396 --> 00:01:28,476 Speaker 3: Very sad places some people spend their whole lives in 24 00:01:28,516 --> 00:01:28,836 Speaker 3: the barn. 25 00:01:29,516 --> 00:01:31,636 Speaker 4: Just yesterday, some guy sat right here next to me 26 00:01:31,676 --> 00:01:32,476 Speaker 4: for eleven hours. 27 00:01:34,836 --> 00:01:39,356 Speaker 1: But why did I love Cheers so much? I think 28 00:01:39,396 --> 00:01:43,116 Speaker 1: it mostly came down to the show's theme song, taking 29 00:01:43,156 --> 00:01:45,716 Speaker 1: a break from My life is tough. The song said, 30 00:01:46,196 --> 00:01:48,396 Speaker 1: so wouldn't you like to get away and find a 31 00:01:48,436 --> 00:01:51,756 Speaker 1: spot where community and camaraderie can fix all your troubles? 32 00:01:54,236 --> 00:01:58,796 Speaker 4: Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your neck. 33 00:01:59,276 --> 00:02:01,516 Speaker 1: Even as a kid, I understood the value of a 34 00:02:01,516 --> 00:02:04,516 Speaker 1: place where you could be known and accepted, where you'd 35 00:02:04,556 --> 00:02:05,916 Speaker 1: be welcomed among friends. 36 00:02:06,356 --> 00:02:06,956 Speaker 2: You don't want to. 37 00:02:06,956 --> 00:02:11,716 Speaker 1: Baby where you see it's almost all all as you 38 00:02:11,716 --> 00:02:15,716 Speaker 1: don't want to be what everybody does. But of course 39 00:02:15,916 --> 00:02:18,836 Speaker 1: Cheers was just a TV show. It was a fantasy. 40 00:02:19,596 --> 00:02:21,916 Speaker 1: Deep down, we may all want to go somewhere where 41 00:02:21,916 --> 00:02:25,196 Speaker 1: everybody knows our names. But those places are getting harder 42 00:02:25,196 --> 00:02:29,876 Speaker 1: and harder to find. Many are closing their doors, and 43 00:02:29,956 --> 00:02:32,956 Speaker 1: the ones that aren't shutting down are changing. Lots of 44 00:02:32,996 --> 00:02:35,836 Speaker 1: local spots are becoming places where it's incredibly hard to 45 00:02:35,836 --> 00:02:38,956 Speaker 1: see the same face twice, let alone form long term 46 00:02:38,956 --> 00:02:41,916 Speaker 1: friendships with a bunch of regulars, which, as we'll see 47 00:02:41,916 --> 00:02:44,596 Speaker 1: in this episode is bad for all our happiness in 48 00:02:44,636 --> 00:02:48,276 Speaker 1: some pretty fundamental ways. But the most sad thing is 49 00:02:48,316 --> 00:02:52,116 Speaker 1: that the same fate has even befallen my beloved Cheers Bar. 50 00:02:52,756 --> 00:02:54,556 Speaker 1: What's the ratio of people who come here who are 51 00:02:54,596 --> 00:02:57,236 Speaker 1: kind of from Boston versus tourists? Is it mostly tourists now? 52 00:02:57,556 --> 00:02:59,196 Speaker 2: Oh, it's very heavily tourists. 53 00:03:07,156 --> 00:03:08,996 Speaker 1: Our minds are constantly telling us what to do to 54 00:03:09,196 --> 00:03:11,676 Speaker 1: be happy. But what if our minds are wrong? What 55 00:03:11,756 --> 00:03:14,276 Speaker 1: if our minds are lying to us, leading us away 56 00:03:14,316 --> 00:03:17,116 Speaker 1: from what really make us happy. The good news is 57 00:03:17,156 --> 00:03:19,436 Speaker 1: that understanding the science of the mind can point us 58 00:03:19,476 --> 00:03:22,196 Speaker 1: all back in the right direction. You're listening to the 59 00:03:22,236 --> 00:03:24,356 Speaker 1: Happiness Lab with doctor Laurie Santos. 60 00:03:30,876 --> 00:03:34,796 Speaker 3: They liked the intimacy of it. It's small, about seven 61 00:03:34,916 --> 00:03:37,876 Speaker 3: hundred and fifty square feet, so that they were relaxed 62 00:03:37,916 --> 00:03:39,636 Speaker 3: and could meet other people. 63 00:03:39,916 --> 00:03:42,796 Speaker 1: Tom Kershaw is something of a Boston legend, and so 64 00:03:42,996 --> 00:03:45,876 Speaker 1: is his bar. Long before Cheers appeared on the Santo's 65 00:03:45,916 --> 00:03:48,916 Speaker 1: Family television, his Bull and Finch tavern was pulling in 66 00:03:48,996 --> 00:03:51,476 Speaker 1: Bostonian drinkers from all walks of life. 67 00:03:51,556 --> 00:03:55,836 Speaker 3: We had college professors, we had college graduates, we had 68 00:03:55,956 --> 00:04:00,076 Speaker 3: construction workers. I remember one fella, Butchi. I think he 69 00:04:00,276 --> 00:04:02,396 Speaker 3: kind of was a man of all trades. What a 70 00:04:02,636 --> 00:04:05,156 Speaker 3: whot he was, and he was there every night. 71 00:04:05,556 --> 00:04:07,876 Speaker 1: The Bull and Finch was inspired by the cozy pubs 72 00:04:07,916 --> 00:04:10,796 Speaker 1: Tom had visited on trip to England. He even had 73 00:04:10,836 --> 00:04:14,116 Speaker 1: the interior built in Britain and shipped over piece by piece. 74 00:04:14,796 --> 00:04:17,476 Speaker 1: The tavern opened in nineteen sixty nine and was soon 75 00:04:17,596 --> 00:04:18,556 Speaker 1: buzzing with locals. 76 00:04:18,676 --> 00:04:21,756 Speaker 3: It was just nice people being nice feople, and they 77 00:04:21,876 --> 00:04:22,996 Speaker 3: became good friends. 78 00:04:23,356 --> 00:04:25,276 Speaker 1: And it wasn't just beer that was acting as a 79 00:04:25,276 --> 00:04:29,276 Speaker 1: social lubricant. Tom had imported another pub fixture from England, 80 00:04:29,636 --> 00:04:30,276 Speaker 1: a dart board. 81 00:04:30,436 --> 00:04:35,676 Speaker 3: That dartboard was the melting pot, the entree into meeting 82 00:04:35,716 --> 00:04:38,916 Speaker 3: people and becoming friends with people. 83 00:04:39,116 --> 00:04:42,196 Speaker 1: The Bullet Finch quickly became what sociologists referred to as 84 00:04:42,236 --> 00:04:45,716 Speaker 1: a third place. Third places are locations that aren't home 85 00:04:45,796 --> 00:04:48,636 Speaker 1: or work, those first and second places where we spend 86 00:04:48,676 --> 00:04:52,076 Speaker 1: most of our time. Third places are another space where 87 00:04:52,076 --> 00:04:54,756 Speaker 1: people can get together for the sort of informal social 88 00:04:54,756 --> 00:04:58,276 Speaker 1: interactions that make us all feel happier. And third places 89 00:04:58,276 --> 00:05:02,116 Speaker 1: aren't just bars. They can be lions clubs, barbershops, community parks, 90 00:05:02,196 --> 00:05:06,356 Speaker 1: coffee shops, rotary clubs, PTA meetings, or churches. To qualify 91 00:05:06,396 --> 00:05:08,436 Speaker 1: as a third place, a spot doesn't just need a 92 00:05:08,436 --> 00:05:11,436 Speaker 1: lot of people, but a lot of regulars. People need 93 00:05:11,476 --> 00:05:14,596 Speaker 1: to have enough repeated connections and conversations that they start 94 00:05:14,636 --> 00:05:17,236 Speaker 1: to feel like a community. Third places also have a 95 00:05:17,276 --> 00:05:20,276 Speaker 1: knack for bringing together different kinds of folks. Their neutral 96 00:05:20,316 --> 00:05:22,996 Speaker 1: grounds where nobody cares all that much about your income 97 00:05:23,116 --> 00:05:25,476 Speaker 1: or background. There are spots where people are all the 98 00:05:25,516 --> 00:05:27,956 Speaker 1: same as that great Cheers theme song put it, and 99 00:05:27,996 --> 00:05:30,636 Speaker 1: their spots where the regulars wind up feeling happier and 100 00:05:30,716 --> 00:05:34,916 Speaker 1: more connected. Tom in his dart playing regulars could tell 101 00:05:34,956 --> 00:05:36,876 Speaker 1: that the Bull and Finch was a special kind of 102 00:05:36,876 --> 00:05:39,756 Speaker 1: gathering spot. But what they didn't know was that a 103 00:05:39,796 --> 00:05:43,436 Speaker 1: big change was looming. Because it turns out some television 104 00:05:43,436 --> 00:05:47,116 Speaker 1: producers James Burrows and brothers Glenn and Less Charles, were 105 00:05:47,116 --> 00:05:49,916 Speaker 1: on the hunt for their next sitcom. The trio had 106 00:05:49,956 --> 00:05:51,876 Speaker 1: worked on a string of hit shows that were set 107 00:05:51,916 --> 00:05:55,036 Speaker 1: in workplaces like hospitals and newsrooms, and they had just 108 00:05:55,116 --> 00:05:58,436 Speaker 1: wrapped their Emmy Award winning comedy Taxi, which centered around 109 00:05:58,436 --> 00:06:01,236 Speaker 1: a group of New York cabbies. The producers thought a 110 00:06:01,276 --> 00:06:04,236 Speaker 1: third place, namely a neighborhood bar, would be the perfect 111 00:06:04,316 --> 00:06:07,316 Speaker 1: venue for their new show, and Boston seemed like the 112 00:06:07,356 --> 00:06:10,716 Speaker 1: ideal setting. The city's unusual mix so blue collar workers 113 00:06:10,716 --> 00:06:13,996 Speaker 1: and nerdy academic types hadn't yet been featured on a sitcom. 114 00:06:14,156 --> 00:06:16,676 Speaker 1: The new show would be filmed on a Hollywood soundstage, 115 00:06:17,036 --> 00:06:19,356 Speaker 1: but the producers wanted to find a real life bar 116 00:06:19,516 --> 00:06:22,596 Speaker 1: for the exterior shots, so they grabbed a Yellow Pages, 117 00:06:22,796 --> 00:06:25,316 Speaker 1: went down the list of Boston bars and spotted a 118 00:06:25,316 --> 00:06:28,556 Speaker 1: big ad for the Bull and Finch. One morning, two 119 00:06:28,556 --> 00:06:32,076 Speaker 1: strangers from Hollywood were waiting outside when Tom's bar manager 120 00:06:32,276 --> 00:06:33,756 Speaker 1: arrived at work. Can we come in? 121 00:06:33,836 --> 00:06:36,156 Speaker 3: He said, sure, I'm hoping the business. They walked in, 122 00:06:36,596 --> 00:06:40,516 Speaker 3: they looked around, looked at each other and said, this 123 00:06:40,596 --> 00:06:43,916 Speaker 3: is it. They went to the pay phone and called 124 00:06:43,956 --> 00:06:46,196 Speaker 3: their mates and jey, eureka, we have found it. 125 00:06:46,396 --> 00:06:48,756 Speaker 1: The outside of the pub was perfect, but it was 126 00:06:48,796 --> 00:06:51,316 Speaker 1: what was going on inside that really matched what the 127 00:06:51,356 --> 00:06:54,596 Speaker 1: producers wanted for their new show. The clientele at the 128 00:06:54,596 --> 00:06:57,436 Speaker 1: Bull and Finch was the exact oddball mix the writers 129 00:06:57,476 --> 00:06:58,076 Speaker 1: were looking for. 130 00:06:58,636 --> 00:07:01,836 Speaker 3: You know, he had Norm and Cliff and Carla and 131 00:07:01,876 --> 00:07:04,156 Speaker 3: the other had you had Frazier Lilith. 132 00:07:04,356 --> 00:07:06,676 Speaker 1: So did the character seem to map onto any of 133 00:07:06,676 --> 00:07:07,716 Speaker 1: the actual regulars? 134 00:07:07,716 --> 00:07:11,236 Speaker 3: And ye, absolutely we had Fred or that's Susie or 135 00:07:11,236 --> 00:07:14,196 Speaker 3: that's you know whatever. Yeah, we played that game as 136 00:07:14,276 --> 00:07:16,436 Speaker 3: to who was the characters they copied. 137 00:07:17,476 --> 00:07:19,916 Speaker 1: Tom's a graduate of Harvard Business School, so he can 138 00:07:19,956 --> 00:07:22,796 Speaker 1: spot a good deal for allowing his bar to feature 139 00:07:22,796 --> 00:07:25,396 Speaker 1: in Cheers. He was paid just a dollar, but he 140 00:07:25,516 --> 00:07:28,356 Speaker 1: soon made a fortune from the publicity surrounding the show 141 00:07:28,876 --> 00:07:31,956 Speaker 1: and from selling Cheers merchandise to the fans who flocked 142 00:07:31,956 --> 00:07:34,836 Speaker 1: to drink in his now world famous pub. So how 143 00:07:34,836 --> 00:07:36,036 Speaker 1: many people come here a year? 144 00:07:36,396 --> 00:07:38,916 Speaker 3: You knows, a just thousands of people, that's not millions. 145 00:07:39,276 --> 00:07:41,756 Speaker 1: But the problem is you can't be one of Boston's 146 00:07:41,796 --> 00:07:45,436 Speaker 1: top tourist attractions and a place where everybody knows your name. 147 00:07:46,036 --> 00:07:49,356 Speaker 1: The regulars don't come so regularly anymore. And if someone 148 00:07:49,396 --> 00:07:51,356 Speaker 1: does know your name at the Bull and Finch today, 149 00:07:51,716 --> 00:07:54,556 Speaker 1: it's probably a gag that the staff are playing along with. 150 00:07:54,916 --> 00:07:57,516 Speaker 3: We have people that come and say I have a 151 00:07:57,556 --> 00:08:01,156 Speaker 3: friend coming. His name's Fred. When you walk in the door, 152 00:08:01,516 --> 00:08:02,836 Speaker 3: can't wait, say hi, I've Fred. 153 00:08:04,156 --> 00:08:04,916 Speaker 2: People love it. 154 00:08:05,316 --> 00:08:08,156 Speaker 1: Thomas thrilled that his pub has become more profitable than ever, 155 00:08:08,716 --> 00:08:11,716 Speaker 1: especially a time when so many similar businesses have closed 156 00:08:11,756 --> 00:08:14,516 Speaker 1: their doors. But the Bull and Finch isn't the home 157 00:08:14,556 --> 00:08:15,796 Speaker 1: away from home it used to be. 158 00:08:16,396 --> 00:08:21,196 Speaker 3: Times change, people's attitudes, change people's needs, change the neighborhoods 159 00:08:21,236 --> 00:08:25,756 Speaker 3: themselves change. The business is a very dynamic business, and 160 00:08:25,796 --> 00:08:29,436 Speaker 3: what's popular today could be unbopyar tomorrow. 161 00:08:29,956 --> 00:08:32,156 Speaker 1: I started with the story of Cheers, not because this 162 00:08:32,276 --> 00:08:35,196 Speaker 1: is an episode about the mixed fortunes of the tavern business, 163 00:08:35,396 --> 00:08:37,636 Speaker 1: but because research shows that what happened to the bar 164 00:08:37,756 --> 00:08:41,036 Speaker 1: I fantasized about as a kid isn't unique. Lots of 165 00:08:41,076 --> 00:08:42,636 Speaker 1: third places are in trouble. 166 00:08:42,956 --> 00:08:45,516 Speaker 2: I'm born on nineteen forty one, so I'm pre boomer. 167 00:08:45,876 --> 00:08:49,076 Speaker 2: It takes pretty old people to be able to recognize 168 00:08:49,076 --> 00:08:49,516 Speaker 2: the cycle. 169 00:08:49,836 --> 00:08:52,996 Speaker 1: Political scientist Robert Putnam has been keeping a close eye 170 00:08:52,996 --> 00:08:56,116 Speaker 1: on the decline of third places. He started noticing their 171 00:08:56,116 --> 00:08:58,596 Speaker 1: demise in his own community thanks to his wife and 172 00:08:58,636 --> 00:09:00,076 Speaker 1: collaborator Rosemary. 173 00:09:00,556 --> 00:09:02,676 Speaker 2: One breakfast, she put the gloves and globe on the 174 00:09:02,716 --> 00:09:06,356 Speaker 2: table and say, look at this. Apparently they're having trouble 175 00:09:06,396 --> 00:09:09,756 Speaker 2: getting enough people to go to the PGA. Now in someplace, 176 00:09:09,756 --> 00:09:13,276 Speaker 2: I've forgotten bill record or god knows where, and she said, so, 177 00:09:13,916 --> 00:09:14,836 Speaker 2: what's happened to that? 178 00:09:15,276 --> 00:09:18,636 Speaker 1: But Robert wasn't worried about school governance. His real concern 179 00:09:18,916 --> 00:09:21,316 Speaker 1: was that skipping the PTA meetings to work late or 180 00:09:21,356 --> 00:09:24,636 Speaker 1: bing something on Netflix was affecting our happiness and connection. 181 00:09:25,316 --> 00:09:28,116 Speaker 2: One of the things that's shocking is if you ask 182 00:09:28,196 --> 00:09:32,236 Speaker 2: people what makes them happy, everybody says it's my family 183 00:09:32,276 --> 00:09:34,596 Speaker 2: and my friends and neighbors. I mean it just hands down. 184 00:09:34,676 --> 00:09:36,636 Speaker 2: Nobody says, what makes me happy is my buick. 185 00:09:37,316 --> 00:09:40,156 Speaker 1: And Robert should know. He's now in his mid eighties 186 00:09:40,436 --> 00:09:42,916 Speaker 1: and remembers how things were when he was growing up 187 00:09:42,916 --> 00:09:46,436 Speaker 1: in Port Clinton, Ohio. Back then, Little Bobby Putnam was 188 00:09:46,476 --> 00:09:49,596 Speaker 1: surrounded by third places where people mingled day in and 189 00:09:49,716 --> 00:09:50,156 Speaker 1: day out. 190 00:09:50,516 --> 00:09:53,476 Speaker 2: My dad every morning went to a diner in town 191 00:09:53,676 --> 00:09:56,516 Speaker 2: to have breakfast. It was called the Breakfast Club, and 192 00:09:56,596 --> 00:10:00,116 Speaker 2: it was, you know, sort of a cross section one 193 00:10:00,156 --> 00:10:02,556 Speaker 2: of the richest people in town, although none of us 194 00:10:02,636 --> 00:10:04,396 Speaker 2: knew that was in that group. 195 00:10:05,476 --> 00:10:08,516 Speaker 1: Robert also found his own favorite third place, but it 196 00:10:08,556 --> 00:10:12,596 Speaker 1: wasn't a diyner or a bar. It was a bowling alley. 197 00:10:12,996 --> 00:10:14,916 Speaker 2: In junior high school, I was part of a five 198 00:10:14,956 --> 00:10:17,556 Speaker 2: men bowling team, and we did pretty well. 199 00:10:17,556 --> 00:10:19,756 Speaker 1: We were not great, but bawling a three hundred game 200 00:10:19,876 --> 00:10:22,556 Speaker 1: wasn't really the point of hitting the lanes. Being on 201 00:10:22,636 --> 00:10:26,276 Speaker 1: the team allowed people from different identities to connect. At 202 00:10:26,276 --> 00:10:29,476 Speaker 1: the time, Port Clinton, just like many neighborhoods across America, 203 00:10:29,916 --> 00:10:31,636 Speaker 1: was divided along racial lines. 204 00:10:31,996 --> 00:10:34,596 Speaker 2: So I don't want to say this was nirvana. It wasn't. 205 00:10:35,116 --> 00:10:37,396 Speaker 1: But just like his dad ate breakfast with the town's 206 00:10:37,476 --> 00:10:40,396 Speaker 1: richest man, Robert's time at the bowling alley was spent 207 00:10:40,476 --> 00:10:42,676 Speaker 1: crossing the societal divides of the time. 208 00:10:42,836 --> 00:10:45,956 Speaker 2: And there's a picture that shows the team which is 209 00:10:46,476 --> 00:10:49,676 Speaker 2: three white guys, one tall, gangly guy in the middle 210 00:10:49,716 --> 00:10:53,236 Speaker 2: which was me, and two black guys. And we did 211 00:10:53,276 --> 00:10:55,396 Speaker 2: not think that was strange. 212 00:10:55,236 --> 00:10:58,196 Speaker 1: That Robert says was the power of third places, But 213 00:10:58,276 --> 00:11:00,796 Speaker 1: it was a power that people back then took for Granted, 214 00:11:01,116 --> 00:11:01,676 Speaker 1: I didn't know a. 215 00:11:01,716 --> 00:11:04,356 Speaker 2: Special and I don't think it was all that special 216 00:11:04,396 --> 00:11:05,796 Speaker 2: in America in the middle of. 217 00:11:05,796 --> 00:11:08,916 Speaker 1: Nineteen fifties, But today's science shows that local hangouts like 218 00:11:08,916 --> 00:11:13,036 Speaker 1: these were incredibly special. Research shows that the abundance of 219 00:11:13,076 --> 00:11:17,076 Speaker 1: third places Robert enjoyed not only promoted personal happiness, but 220 00:11:17,116 --> 00:11:19,996 Speaker 1: produced neighborhoods that were better run, more fun to live in, 221 00:11:20,196 --> 00:11:23,676 Speaker 1: and even safer. We'll hear why when the Happiness Lab 222 00:11:23,676 --> 00:11:24,836 Speaker 1: returns from the break. 223 00:11:31,876 --> 00:11:36,436 Speaker 2: Giuseppe had a fictitious younger brother who wanted to become 224 00:11:36,436 --> 00:11:39,436 Speaker 2: an automachetic and he wanted to get the form so 225 00:11:39,476 --> 00:11:42,996 Speaker 2: that they could apply for a subsidy for automachetic school. 226 00:11:43,396 --> 00:11:46,316 Speaker 1: Back in the late eighties, political scientist Robert Putnam was 227 00:11:46,356 --> 00:11:50,556 Speaker 1: engaging in some mild academic subterfuge. Robert was interested in 228 00:11:50,596 --> 00:11:53,596 Speaker 1: why some governments worked well while others didn't, so he 229 00:11:53,636 --> 00:11:55,956 Speaker 1: set up a new study in Italy. He wanted to 230 00:11:55,996 --> 00:11:58,516 Speaker 1: know why it was easier to access healthcare or enroll 231 00:11:58,556 --> 00:12:01,276 Speaker 1: a child in kindergarten in some towns but not others. 232 00:12:01,636 --> 00:12:05,236 Speaker 1: So he created fake Italian characters like Dsceppe and had 233 00:12:05,236 --> 00:12:09,076 Speaker 1: them navigate the bureaucracy of different regions. For example, how 234 00:12:09,116 --> 00:12:11,556 Speaker 1: how long would it take Guceppe's equally made up brother 235 00:12:11,756 --> 00:12:14,036 Speaker 1: to successfully apply for vocational training? 236 00:12:14,436 --> 00:12:16,436 Speaker 2: And then we counted how long did it take until 237 00:12:16,516 --> 00:12:18,636 Speaker 2: we got back the forms if we got back almost 238 00:12:18,636 --> 00:12:22,476 Speaker 2: never did we get the forms back, So then Giuseppe 239 00:12:22,636 --> 00:12:24,476 Speaker 2: picked up the phone, and then we counted to how 240 00:12:24,516 --> 00:12:28,516 Speaker 2: many different people was a telephone call passed until at 241 00:12:28,596 --> 00:12:30,996 Speaker 2: last someone would say they were the right person. 242 00:12:31,436 --> 00:12:34,636 Speaker 1: Italy back then was a land of extremes. Some areas 243 00:12:34,636 --> 00:12:38,236 Speaker 1: were ruled by conservatives, others by communists. Some areas were 244 00:12:38,316 --> 00:12:40,036 Speaker 1: rich while others were decidedly not. 245 00:12:40,556 --> 00:12:44,676 Speaker 2: The Solvidly at that point, economically looked like Nicaragua or 246 00:12:44,836 --> 00:12:48,116 Speaker 2: Syria or something pretty undeveloped, pretty poor, and the northern 247 00:12:48,156 --> 00:12:52,036 Speaker 2: regions looked like Holland or Sweden or someplace. 248 00:12:52,236 --> 00:12:55,236 Speaker 1: But new reforms began better balancing how the different regions 249 00:12:55,236 --> 00:12:58,636 Speaker 1: in Italy were governed, and Robert was super excited about 250 00:12:58,636 --> 00:13:02,116 Speaker 1: these changes. These changes allowed Robert to directly test the 251 00:13:02,196 --> 00:13:05,716 Speaker 1: role that culture, wealth, and history played in a government's effectiveness. 252 00:13:05,916 --> 00:13:09,836 Speaker 2: The first thing we found was that richer regions were 253 00:13:10,276 --> 00:13:12,596 Speaker 2: better governed than poor regions, and we thought that makes 254 00:13:12,636 --> 00:13:15,756 Speaker 2: sense because the richer region is going to afford computers 255 00:13:15,836 --> 00:13:17,556 Speaker 2: and more talented people, and saw it. 256 00:13:17,876 --> 00:13:20,756 Speaker 1: But Robert also found that wealth wasn't the whole story. 257 00:13:20,876 --> 00:13:23,836 Speaker 2: We had many different ideas, many hypolsitis about what the 258 00:13:23,876 --> 00:13:26,916 Speaker 2: secret ingredient might be. It might be politics, it might 259 00:13:26,956 --> 00:13:28,996 Speaker 2: be I don't know. Lots of different things, but we 260 00:13:29,156 --> 00:13:32,436 Speaker 2: never guessed what turned out to be the best predictor. 261 00:13:32,796 --> 00:13:33,676 Speaker 2: You can see I'm. 262 00:13:33,836 --> 00:13:35,516 Speaker 1: Enjoying this, I know, edge of the sea. 263 00:13:35,676 --> 00:13:37,556 Speaker 2: Come on. Choral societies. 264 00:13:41,636 --> 00:13:47,076 Speaker 1: That's right, choral societies those groups of people who get 265 00:13:47,116 --> 00:13:50,956 Speaker 1: together regularly to sing in choirs. Robert found that regions 266 00:13:50,956 --> 00:13:53,276 Speaker 1: with more of these groups were the ones whose governments 267 00:13:53,316 --> 00:13:58,956 Speaker 1: ran most efficiently. Now, I'm guessing choral societies probably wasn't 268 00:13:58,996 --> 00:14:04,476 Speaker 1: the answer you were expecting. But Robert's strange result was 269 00:14:04,476 --> 00:14:07,836 Speaker 1: about to get even stranger, because, like a good political scientist, 270 00:14:08,116 --> 00:14:10,916 Speaker 1: Robert decided to look further back in history to figure 271 00:14:10,916 --> 00:14:16,716 Speaker 1: out why choirs mattered so much. He thought maybe people 272 00:14:16,756 --> 00:14:19,036 Speaker 1: in richer towns had more spare time and money to 273 00:14:19,036 --> 00:14:22,156 Speaker 1: set up singing clubs. Turns out that wasn't right either. 274 00:14:22,596 --> 00:14:24,956 Speaker 2: It was not that wealth produced choral societies, but the 275 00:14:25,036 --> 00:14:26,516 Speaker 2: choral societies produced wealth. 276 00:14:28,156 --> 00:14:30,916 Speaker 1: The Italian towns where it was easy for Robert's fictional 277 00:14:30,916 --> 00:14:34,276 Speaker 1: citizen Giuseppe to access healthcare or the forms his brother 278 00:14:34,356 --> 00:14:36,876 Speaker 1: needed to train as a mechanic weren't just the towns 279 00:14:36,876 --> 00:14:39,716 Speaker 1: that had the most choral societies. Now, they were also 280 00:14:39,756 --> 00:14:42,276 Speaker 1: the towns that had the most choirs hundreds and hundreds 281 00:14:42,316 --> 00:14:43,196 Speaker 1: of years ago. 282 00:14:43,396 --> 00:14:46,756 Speaker 2: The number of choral societies in a region of Italy 283 00:14:46,956 --> 00:14:51,716 Speaker 2: in the thirteenth century predicts, it turns out, not only 284 00:14:51,716 --> 00:14:55,996 Speaker 2: whether Giuseppe will get his medical buility burst, but predicts 285 00:14:55,996 --> 00:14:58,796 Speaker 2: the happiness of people in regions Italy today. I mean, 286 00:14:58,956 --> 00:14:59,436 Speaker 2: think of that. 287 00:15:02,716 --> 00:15:05,476 Speaker 1: Robert was excited about these odd findings, but he didn't 288 00:15:05,476 --> 00:15:08,476 Speaker 1: fully understand the link, that is, until he suffered a 289 00:15:08,516 --> 00:15:10,156 Speaker 1: temporary of insomnia. 290 00:15:10,236 --> 00:15:13,756 Speaker 2: I thought, God, I've got to read something boring that 291 00:15:13,836 --> 00:15:16,556 Speaker 2: i'll fall asleep over. And there was a big book 292 00:15:16,596 --> 00:15:18,876 Speaker 2: line open, and I thought, this is clearly going to 293 00:15:18,916 --> 00:15:21,956 Speaker 2: put me to sleep. It was social theory. Foundations of 294 00:15:21,996 --> 00:15:22,836 Speaker 2: Social Theory. 295 00:15:23,116 --> 00:15:25,356 Speaker 1: Robert just so happened to stumble on a chapter by 296 00:15:25,356 --> 00:15:29,116 Speaker 1: the sociologist James Coleman which explained the concept known as 297 00:15:29,156 --> 00:15:32,396 Speaker 1: social capital. Coleman argued that just as regions can have 298 00:15:32,436 --> 00:15:36,436 Speaker 1: different amounts of physical capital resources like property, roads, and money, 299 00:15:36,596 --> 00:15:39,396 Speaker 1: so too can they amass different amounts of social capital, 300 00:15:39,676 --> 00:15:43,116 Speaker 1: social resources like relationships, networks, and communities. 301 00:15:43,436 --> 00:15:45,436 Speaker 2: I had never heard the term social capital, but I 302 00:15:45,476 --> 00:15:48,236 Speaker 2: began reading it. I said, my god, this is what 303 00:15:48,356 --> 00:15:53,156 Speaker 2: I've been studying. I saw essentially instantly why that was 304 00:15:53,196 --> 00:15:56,236 Speaker 2: the right concept to use for choral societies. 305 00:15:56,516 --> 00:15:59,516 Speaker 1: Robert realized that third places like choirs and bowling leagues 306 00:15:59,716 --> 00:16:02,516 Speaker 1: make governments work better because they allow people to build 307 00:16:02,596 --> 00:16:06,316 Speaker 1: social capital. They helped create local networks in which everyone 308 00:16:06,356 --> 00:16:09,756 Speaker 1: knows each other's names, and research shows that having people 309 00:16:09,796 --> 00:16:13,236 Speaker 1: around who know our names changes our psychology. It helps 310 00:16:13,276 --> 00:16:16,556 Speaker 1: us behave more virtuously. When people know who we are, 311 00:16:16,676 --> 00:16:18,956 Speaker 1: we want to win their trust, and that means we 312 00:16:18,996 --> 00:16:21,796 Speaker 1: put work into meeting our commitments, playing by the rules, 313 00:16:21,836 --> 00:16:24,756 Speaker 1: and settling our bar bills. And if the people around 314 00:16:24,836 --> 00:16:27,636 Speaker 1: us are doing the same thing, if they like us, 315 00:16:27,716 --> 00:16:30,476 Speaker 1: want to be trustworthy and do nice things, then that's 316 00:16:30,476 --> 00:16:33,076 Speaker 1: a win win that makes life easier for everyone in 317 00:16:33,116 --> 00:16:33,716 Speaker 1: the community. 318 00:16:34,076 --> 00:16:39,436 Speaker 2: Trustworthiness is demonstrably increased by social networks. If you and 319 00:16:39,476 --> 00:16:42,436 Speaker 2: I are engaged in some kind of transaction and I 320 00:16:42,676 --> 00:16:45,156 Speaker 2: cheat you, you'll be angry at me. But if we're 321 00:16:45,196 --> 00:16:47,596 Speaker 2: doing that in a setting of networks and I cheat 322 00:16:47,636 --> 00:16:51,036 Speaker 2: you and he's watching, he knows that I'm not trustworthy 323 00:16:51,036 --> 00:16:54,156 Speaker 2: because he's seeing me mistreat you, and that means he'll 324 00:16:54,156 --> 00:16:56,236 Speaker 2: never play a game with me. And we generalize that 325 00:16:56,276 --> 00:16:59,316 Speaker 2: to everybody. If everybody in town is looking at this transaction. 326 00:16:59,916 --> 00:17:03,476 Speaker 2: I am a huge incentive not to cheat you. 327 00:17:04,396 --> 00:17:06,996 Speaker 1: And this is the reason that choral societies were such 328 00:17:07,036 --> 00:17:10,396 Speaker 1: an important factor in Robert's study of those local Italian governments. 329 00:17:10,636 --> 00:17:13,436 Speaker 1: If a city official sang in a choir with other townspeople, 330 00:17:13,556 --> 00:17:16,236 Speaker 1: their reputation and good name became more important to them. 331 00:17:16,396 --> 00:17:18,676 Speaker 1: They wouldn't want it getting around town that they couldn't 332 00:17:18,676 --> 00:17:21,476 Speaker 1: do their job well or send out an application form promptly. 333 00:17:21,916 --> 00:17:24,916 Speaker 2: But the more interesting thing is that social capitalis externalities. 334 00:17:24,996 --> 00:17:28,156 Speaker 2: That is, it has benefits for people outside the networks. 335 00:17:28,356 --> 00:17:30,876 Speaker 1: It's not just that an Italian official would work hard 336 00:17:30,876 --> 00:17:33,676 Speaker 1: for a fellow choir member. The social capital that stems 337 00:17:33,676 --> 00:17:37,076 Speaker 1: from third places like choral societies encourages people to make 338 00:17:37,076 --> 00:17:40,116 Speaker 1: the whole system work better, which means that everyone in 339 00:17:40,156 --> 00:17:43,476 Speaker 1: town gets to enjoy the fruits of more diligence and trustworthiness. 340 00:17:43,796 --> 00:17:48,196 Speaker 1: And Robert observed other externalities too. Take crime, for example. 341 00:17:48,076 --> 00:17:49,836 Speaker 2: The best predictor of a little crime rate in a 342 00:17:49,836 --> 00:17:52,196 Speaker 2: neighborhood is how many neighbors know wander this first name. 343 00:17:52,436 --> 00:17:54,076 Speaker 1: If you hang out with your neighbors in a bar, 344 00:17:54,276 --> 00:17:57,156 Speaker 1: or a singing group or Residents Association. You'll start to 345 00:17:57,196 --> 00:17:59,596 Speaker 1: look out for them, and they'll start to look out 346 00:17:59,596 --> 00:18:02,676 Speaker 1: for you too. Robert himself benefits from living in just 347 00:18:02,716 --> 00:18:03,516 Speaker 1: such a neighborhood. 348 00:18:03,716 --> 00:18:05,876 Speaker 2: And this is the moment for confession. I actually never 349 00:18:05,956 --> 00:18:08,556 Speaker 2: went to the picnics and barbecues and slaving parties, but 350 00:18:08,636 --> 00:18:11,756 Speaker 2: I was able to benefit from the networks of reciprocity 351 00:18:11,836 --> 00:18:13,796 Speaker 2: and people keeping an eye on one of his house 352 00:18:13,876 --> 00:18:15,476 Speaker 2: and so on, even though I was not in it. 353 00:18:15,796 --> 00:18:18,716 Speaker 1: Another example of these social capital building groups is parent 354 00:18:18,756 --> 00:18:19,956 Speaker 1: teacher associations. 355 00:18:20,316 --> 00:18:22,356 Speaker 2: The more the parents are involved in schools, the better 356 00:18:22,436 --> 00:18:24,836 Speaker 2: the performance of the schools, the better performance of the kids. 357 00:18:24,956 --> 00:18:26,836 Speaker 2: And that's true for even kids whose parents are not 358 00:18:26,916 --> 00:18:29,596 Speaker 2: in the PTA. They benefit from the extra anomalies of 359 00:18:29,636 --> 00:18:31,196 Speaker 2: those networks. 360 00:18:31,396 --> 00:18:34,516 Speaker 1: But when Robert's wife, Rosemary showed him the newspaper story 361 00:18:34,796 --> 00:18:38,436 Speaker 1: that PTA attendance was declining in that nearby Massachusetts community 362 00:18:38,476 --> 00:18:40,676 Speaker 1: of bill Ricca, he began to worry. 363 00:18:41,276 --> 00:18:43,876 Speaker 2: At that point, I had not ever thought about measuring 364 00:18:44,116 --> 00:18:46,756 Speaker 2: social capital of America. But the first thought is, well, 365 00:18:46,756 --> 00:18:50,276 Speaker 2: what's wrong with bill Ricca? Is that also true? In intellection? Yes, 366 00:18:50,356 --> 00:18:52,796 Speaker 2: it turned out to me, could that be true every place? 367 00:18:53,356 --> 00:18:56,356 Speaker 1: And So Robert began a careful statistical study not just 368 00:18:56,396 --> 00:18:59,396 Speaker 1: of PTA membership, but of attendance in third places and 369 00:18:59,436 --> 00:19:02,396 Speaker 1: social groups of all kinds. He tracked what was happening 370 00:19:02,436 --> 00:19:07,556 Speaker 1: to rotary clubs, labor unions, religious groups, Scout troops, fraternal organizations, 371 00:19:07,636 --> 00:19:11,916 Speaker 1: women's groups, and even his favorite teenage third place bowling leagues. 372 00:19:12,316 --> 00:19:14,196 Speaker 2: And by golly, it was true everywhere. 373 00:19:15,556 --> 00:19:18,956 Speaker 1: Robert published his findings in a groundbreaking academic article which 374 00:19:19,076 --> 00:19:21,956 Speaker 1: years later became a book. He argued not just that 375 00:19:21,996 --> 00:19:24,716 Speaker 1: our third places and civic groups were in rapid decline, 376 00:19:24,876 --> 00:19:27,756 Speaker 1: but also that society should be much much more worried 377 00:19:27,796 --> 00:19:30,436 Speaker 1: about it. In honor of his own positive experiences in 378 00:19:30,476 --> 00:19:35,036 Speaker 1: Port Clinton, he titled his article Bowling Alone, America's Declining 379 00:19:35,116 --> 00:19:40,436 Speaker 1: social Capital. The article rang alarm bells across the entire country. 380 00:19:40,596 --> 00:19:44,436 Speaker 1: Newspapers picked up Robert's arguments, and politicians vowed to act. 381 00:19:44,556 --> 00:19:48,236 Speaker 2: Within one week, I was invited to Camp David David 382 00:19:48,276 --> 00:19:50,556 Speaker 2: for goodness, Sex and Rosemary and I were on the 383 00:19:50,596 --> 00:19:53,196 Speaker 2: cover of People magazine. So this is not the normal 384 00:19:53,236 --> 00:19:54,876 Speaker 2: experience of any academic. 385 00:19:55,436 --> 00:19:58,756 Speaker 1: So Robert's warning was heated. Right he discovered just how 386 00:19:58,796 --> 00:20:01,636 Speaker 1: important third places were for our happiness and social connection 387 00:20:01,796 --> 00:20:05,356 Speaker 1: in the late nineties, and people listened and things today 388 00:20:05,436 --> 00:20:10,916 Speaker 1: should be great. Right. Unfortunately, that's not how the story went. 389 00:20:11,236 --> 00:20:13,956 Speaker 1: Since Robert's article came out in nineteen ninety five, the 390 00:20:14,036 --> 00:20:17,676 Speaker 1: story of third places has gotten much, much worse. Is 391 00:20:17,716 --> 00:20:20,356 Speaker 1: there any way to stop this nasty cycle? Is there 392 00:20:20,396 --> 00:20:22,156 Speaker 1: a way we can play a part in bringing back 393 00:20:22,196 --> 00:20:24,876 Speaker 1: third places and all the social capital they create? 394 00:20:25,036 --> 00:20:27,076 Speaker 4: Saying I'm not really a joiner isn't going to cut 395 00:20:27,116 --> 00:20:29,916 Speaker 4: it in the coming decades, because we need people in 396 00:20:29,916 --> 00:20:31,716 Speaker 4: this country to be joiners. 397 00:20:31,716 --> 00:20:33,876 Speaker 1: To hear what we can do to rebuild third places. 398 00:20:34,076 --> 00:20:36,796 Speaker 1: Join me when the Happiness Lab returns in a moment. 399 00:20:44,196 --> 00:20:47,396 Speaker 1: Harvard Professor Robert Putnam has taught political science to countless 400 00:20:47,396 --> 00:20:49,916 Speaker 1: students over the decades. You remember, like when you first 401 00:20:49,916 --> 00:20:51,076 Speaker 1: heard about bowling alone. 402 00:20:51,196 --> 00:20:54,476 Speaker 4: Yep, you know, I was an incoming freshman and he 403 00:20:54,716 --> 00:20:55,876 Speaker 4: was a professor at the college. 404 00:20:55,916 --> 00:20:59,036 Speaker 1: I's gone too. Many were inspired by his lectures, but 405 00:20:59,156 --> 00:21:02,276 Speaker 1: some have actually decided to act on his dire warnings 406 00:21:02,316 --> 00:21:03,836 Speaker 1: about the decline of third places. 407 00:21:04,076 --> 00:21:06,836 Speaker 4: Hello everyone, I am Pete Davis. I am the co 408 00:21:06,956 --> 00:21:10,636 Speaker 4: director of Joiner Die, new film out about why you 409 00:21:10,636 --> 00:21:12,996 Speaker 4: should join a club and why the fate of America 410 00:21:13,116 --> 00:21:13,956 Speaker 4: may depend on it. 411 00:21:15,076 --> 00:21:18,196 Speaker 1: After arriving in college, Pete Davis took a seminar class 412 00:21:18,196 --> 00:21:22,316 Speaker 1: with Putnam called Community in America. Pete was electrified by 413 00:21:22,316 --> 00:21:22,836 Speaker 1: his teacher. 414 00:21:23,636 --> 00:21:27,036 Speaker 4: You know what's so amazing about Bob is he wasn't 415 00:21:27,116 --> 00:21:30,876 Speaker 4: just about the academics. He was also about making an 416 00:21:30,916 --> 00:21:33,156 Speaker 4: impact on the country. He thought the best way he 417 00:21:33,196 --> 00:21:35,836 Speaker 4: could make an impact on the country was getting people 418 00:21:35,916 --> 00:21:38,556 Speaker 4: riled up, his students and the people who were reading 419 00:21:38,556 --> 00:21:42,636 Speaker 4: his books to be excited about rejuvenating community in America. 420 00:21:42,916 --> 00:21:44,836 Speaker 4: He's had that spirit in the whole time that I've 421 00:21:44,836 --> 00:21:46,076 Speaker 4: known him these thirteen years. 422 00:21:46,276 --> 00:21:49,036 Speaker 1: Robert wanted to rekindle the businesses in clubs he'd known 423 00:21:49,116 --> 00:21:52,116 Speaker 1: growing up in the fifties. Pete and the other millennials 424 00:21:52,156 --> 00:21:55,316 Speaker 1: in class had never experienced these third places, but they 425 00:21:55,316 --> 00:21:57,796 Speaker 1: did feel something about their lives wasn't quite right. 426 00:21:57,996 --> 00:22:01,396 Speaker 4: I think a lot of people my age feel a 427 00:22:01,516 --> 00:22:05,996 Speaker 4: real sense of lack in the meaning department, and I 428 00:22:05,996 --> 00:22:07,036 Speaker 4: think it's all connected. 429 00:22:07,596 --> 00:22:10,396 Speaker 1: Of course, there are still some spaces that millennials like 430 00:22:10,436 --> 00:22:13,196 Speaker 1: Pete can go to outside of work at home, But 431 00:22:13,276 --> 00:22:16,476 Speaker 1: Pete worries these new places haven't provided his generation with 432 00:22:16,516 --> 00:22:18,556 Speaker 1: the meeting or social capital they crave. 433 00:22:18,876 --> 00:22:22,836 Speaker 4: So many of our third places had become unfortunately corporatized. 434 00:22:22,996 --> 00:22:25,076 Speaker 4: So you know, you meet in a Starbucks, or you'd 435 00:22:25,076 --> 00:22:27,556 Speaker 4: meet at a McDonald's, or meet at a Panera, and 436 00:22:27,836 --> 00:22:30,236 Speaker 4: you know, it wouldn't be the story of meeting that 437 00:22:30,316 --> 00:22:32,676 Speaker 4: our grandparents or even parents would remember of meeting at 438 00:22:32,716 --> 00:22:35,516 Speaker 4: an Elks lodge, or meeting at a Masonic temple, or 439 00:22:35,556 --> 00:22:37,996 Speaker 4: meeting at an NAACP headquarters in a state. 440 00:22:38,636 --> 00:22:41,396 Speaker 1: So why aren't people nowadays pushing to develop more of 441 00:22:41,396 --> 00:22:44,676 Speaker 1: these satisfying third places. There are lots of reasons, but 442 00:22:44,756 --> 00:22:46,636 Speaker 1: Pete says at least one of them is the fact 443 00:22:46,676 --> 00:22:49,276 Speaker 1: that people today kind of just want to stay home. 444 00:22:49,836 --> 00:22:52,796 Speaker 4: One of the culprits Bob pointed to and Bowling alone 445 00:22:52,956 --> 00:22:54,996 Speaker 4: was television. And I want to be clear, it's not 446 00:22:55,036 --> 00:22:58,756 Speaker 4: the only culprit, but it is a very significant one. 447 00:22:58,796 --> 00:23:03,636 Speaker 4: And part of the reason is that TV provided parasocial interaction. 448 00:23:04,036 --> 00:23:06,236 Speaker 4: You felt like you were friends with the Today Show 449 00:23:06,236 --> 00:23:08,596 Speaker 4: hosts or the sitcom characters TV. 450 00:23:09,396 --> 00:23:12,636 Speaker 1: The irony that television is causing America's decline in third 451 00:23:12,636 --> 00:23:16,356 Speaker 1: places hits pretty hard. I mean My family was definitely 452 00:23:16,356 --> 00:23:18,556 Speaker 1: among the people who stayed home to watch Tears on 453 00:23:18,636 --> 00:23:21,716 Speaker 1: TV while dreaming of someday finding a place where everybody 454 00:23:21,796 --> 00:23:25,036 Speaker 1: knew our names. In retrospect, maybe we should have been 455 00:23:25,036 --> 00:23:28,196 Speaker 1: forming real life social bonds at third places instead of 456 00:23:28,196 --> 00:23:31,356 Speaker 1: hanging out with fantasy friends on TV. But Pete says 457 00:23:31,396 --> 00:23:33,716 Speaker 1: the temptation of TV was just the first in a 458 00:23:33,756 --> 00:23:36,116 Speaker 1: series of problematic technological developments. 459 00:23:36,356 --> 00:23:39,236 Speaker 4: What's happened in the twenty years since Bowling Alone is 460 00:23:39,236 --> 00:23:44,316 Speaker 4: we've had an even more supercharged version of parasocial interaction, 461 00:23:44,836 --> 00:23:47,996 Speaker 4: which is everything that's been happening on the Internet because 462 00:23:48,276 --> 00:23:50,956 Speaker 4: you have your friends that you're following on Instagram, but 463 00:23:51,036 --> 00:23:55,756 Speaker 4: you're only experiencing their Internet presence, and so what that's 464 00:23:55,796 --> 00:23:58,436 Speaker 4: doing is giving us this I would call it, kind 465 00:23:58,436 --> 00:24:02,996 Speaker 4: of junk social interaction that's not the nourishing, real world 466 00:24:03,076 --> 00:24:05,836 Speaker 4: social interaction that gives you kind of the full experience 467 00:24:05,836 --> 00:24:06,476 Speaker 4: of community. 468 00:24:07,196 --> 00:24:09,676 Speaker 1: Pete made me realize that we really did squander our 469 00:24:09,756 --> 00:24:13,156 Speaker 1: chance to heed Robert's warning. The momentum his initial Bowling 470 00:24:13,156 --> 00:24:16,116 Speaker 1: Alone article had back in the late nineties was huge. 471 00:24:16,196 --> 00:24:18,116 Speaker 4: The White House calls him up, and you know, the 472 00:24:18,156 --> 00:24:21,156 Speaker 4: President and first lady in cabinet have all read Bowling 473 00:24:21,156 --> 00:24:22,316 Speaker 4: alone and are interested. 474 00:24:21,996 --> 00:24:23,116 Speaker 1: In talking with them about it. 475 00:24:23,156 --> 00:24:26,116 Speaker 4: But then you know, after kind of nine to eleven, 476 00:24:26,676 --> 00:24:28,396 Speaker 4: America starts talking about other things. 477 00:24:29,396 --> 00:24:32,876 Speaker 1: Nine to eleven brought huge political upheavals that overshadowed concerns 478 00:24:32,876 --> 00:24:35,356 Speaker 1: about social capital, but it was also an era that 479 00:24:35,396 --> 00:24:39,316 Speaker 1: saw epic technological change. Many people back then assumed that 480 00:24:39,436 --> 00:24:43,556 Speaker 1: online communities would eventually replace physical spaces. Why gather in 481 00:24:43,556 --> 00:24:46,316 Speaker 1: person for your morning coffee at your charity club when 482 00:24:46,356 --> 00:24:48,756 Speaker 1: you could set up a GoFundMe page that reached hundreds 483 00:24:48,796 --> 00:24:51,796 Speaker 1: of people. Why attend a political debate when you could 484 00:24:51,836 --> 00:24:55,236 Speaker 1: join a Facebook group. Online communities can connect us to 485 00:24:55,236 --> 00:24:58,156 Speaker 1: people more easily, but the science shows that these groups 486 00:24:58,276 --> 00:25:01,196 Speaker 1: aren't a great psychological replacement for the face to face 487 00:25:01,276 --> 00:25:05,276 Speaker 1: encounters we get at real life third places. Virtual meetings 488 00:25:05,316 --> 00:25:08,196 Speaker 1: just don't seem to encourage the same trustworthiness that Robert 489 00:25:08,236 --> 00:25:11,476 Speaker 1: saw in his quarrels societies and Bowling leagues, and research 490 00:25:11,476 --> 00:25:13,556 Speaker 1: has shown that we tend not to be our kindest 491 00:25:13,556 --> 00:25:17,876 Speaker 1: selves online. In real life third places promote trustworthiness across 492 00:25:17,876 --> 00:25:21,836 Speaker 1: differing identities, but online communities do just the opposite. They 493 00:25:21,916 --> 00:25:25,356 Speaker 1: so division and misinformation, which if you've been paying attention, 494 00:25:25,836 --> 00:25:29,196 Speaker 1: you know has already led to some really nasty civic results. 495 00:25:29,436 --> 00:25:31,916 Speaker 3: All of us here today do not want to see 496 00:25:31,996 --> 00:25:39,356 Speaker 3: our election victory stolen Boma for that find. 497 00:25:39,236 --> 00:25:41,276 Speaker 4: We're going to clear this, we're going to get this 498 00:25:41,316 --> 00:25:42,516 Speaker 4: straightened out, and we're going to go. 499 00:25:42,476 --> 00:25:43,276 Speaker 2: Back to war. 500 00:25:43,596 --> 00:25:46,236 Speaker 1: The events of January sixth are just one reason Pete 501 00:25:46,236 --> 00:25:49,196 Speaker 1: thinks we need to return to Robert's ideas and act 502 00:25:49,236 --> 00:25:49,676 Speaker 1: this time. 503 00:25:49,876 --> 00:25:53,876 Speaker 4: Love of America. There's just been a very growing drum 504 00:25:53,876 --> 00:25:58,756 Speaker 4: beat of interest stemming from personal experience of everyone across America, 505 00:25:58,836 --> 00:26:02,156 Speaker 4: especially young people, that we are living in a social 506 00:26:02,196 --> 00:26:06,596 Speaker 4: isolation crisis, that we are lonely, that we are hungry 507 00:26:06,876 --> 00:26:09,716 Speaker 4: deeply for kind of a rejuvenation of community. 508 00:26:10,076 --> 00:26:12,716 Speaker 1: So what does Pete propose we do well. First, he 509 00:26:12,756 --> 00:26:14,956 Speaker 1: thinks we need to understand that we do have a 510 00:26:14,956 --> 00:26:17,836 Speaker 1: big problem when it comes to social capital, one that's 511 00:26:17,876 --> 00:26:20,636 Speaker 1: getting worse and worse and worse. And that's where his 512 00:26:20,676 --> 00:26:22,236 Speaker 1: new movie, Join Our Die comes in. 513 00:26:22,876 --> 00:26:26,716 Speaker 4: So we hope that the movie can be a catalyzer, 514 00:26:26,836 --> 00:26:29,396 Speaker 4: a week up call of wow, you know, if we're 515 00:26:29,396 --> 00:26:31,356 Speaker 4: going to turn things around as a country, or if 516 00:26:31,396 --> 00:26:34,236 Speaker 4: I want to get all the joys of community. 517 00:26:34,676 --> 00:26:36,636 Speaker 1: I have to become a joiner, Tommy or. 518 00:26:36,636 --> 00:26:37,156 Speaker 2: You good brother. 519 00:26:37,836 --> 00:26:39,596 Speaker 3: Yeah. 520 00:26:39,676 --> 00:26:42,156 Speaker 4: I can see the transition in my life from my 521 00:26:42,716 --> 00:26:43,436 Speaker 4: joining lodge. 522 00:26:43,516 --> 00:26:45,436 Speaker 2: Do like who I own out warden We. 523 00:26:45,556 --> 00:26:48,436 Speaker 1: The film chronicles people Pete's age who are doing just this, 524 00:26:49,036 --> 00:26:52,796 Speaker 1: gig workers who are forming new labor unions, bike associations 525 00:26:52,796 --> 00:26:56,036 Speaker 1: who are bringing low income communities together, and even new 526 00:26:56,076 --> 00:26:59,036 Speaker 1: school bowling leagues that are forming where you least expect them. 527 00:26:59,116 --> 00:27:04,476 Speaker 1: I was a very unhappy attorney and became an extremely happy, 528 00:27:04,476 --> 00:27:06,876 Speaker 1: bullying out of the owner. It's a grassroots joiner effort 529 00:27:06,956 --> 00:27:11,076 Speaker 1: that makes Pete feel really hopeful. All right, good evening, 530 00:27:11,116 --> 00:27:11,676 Speaker 1: Bob Borland. 531 00:27:13,076 --> 00:27:16,596 Speaker 4: There's not a switch, you know in Fort Knox that 532 00:27:16,916 --> 00:27:20,556 Speaker 4: says isolation versus community. The way it's going to change 533 00:27:20,676 --> 00:27:22,676 Speaker 4: is going to be much more like the growing of 534 00:27:22,716 --> 00:27:26,716 Speaker 4: a forest. We need a thousand different seeds planted of 535 00:27:26,796 --> 00:27:29,516 Speaker 4: new ways of being in a community spirit, you know, 536 00:27:29,636 --> 00:27:32,356 Speaker 4: new ways of getting together with your neighbors, new clubs 537 00:27:32,396 --> 00:27:36,036 Speaker 4: out there, new cultural ideas about the importance of community 538 00:27:36,076 --> 00:27:38,196 Speaker 4: and how we can be better neighbors. All of that 539 00:27:38,316 --> 00:27:41,796 Speaker 4: together in every region across the country is what we need. 540 00:27:41,836 --> 00:27:44,316 Speaker 4: That's the message Bob's been preaching, and I'm ready to 541 00:27:44,556 --> 00:27:46,476 Speaker 4: be a follower. I've been taken in being a follower 542 00:27:46,556 --> 00:27:48,356 Speaker 4: of that, and what we're hoping for with this film 543 00:27:48,516 --> 00:27:51,276 Speaker 4: is we can recruit some more people to this spirit 544 00:27:51,316 --> 00:27:52,556 Speaker 4: of community in the coming years. 545 00:27:54,636 --> 00:27:56,556 Speaker 3: Beer under directly. 546 00:27:56,676 --> 00:27:59,476 Speaker 1: Pete's film title, Join Our Die sounds a little dramatic, 547 00:28:00,076 --> 00:28:02,436 Speaker 1: but he thinks there's something important in us that does 548 00:28:02,556 --> 00:28:05,196 Speaker 1: die when we don't have opportunities to build ties with 549 00:28:05,236 --> 00:28:07,476 Speaker 1: our neighbors. If you want your neighborhood to be the 550 00:28:07,556 --> 00:28:10,196 Speaker 1: kind of place where everybody knows you're Pete says, you 551 00:28:10,276 --> 00:28:12,436 Speaker 1: might have to shut off the TV and head out 552 00:28:12,436 --> 00:28:14,276 Speaker 1: of the house so that you can form some community 553 00:28:14,356 --> 00:28:17,516 Speaker 1: with your local barkeeper and bowlers. And if there isn't 554 00:28:17,516 --> 00:28:20,036 Speaker 1: an obvious group to sign up for, then Pete says 555 00:28:20,036 --> 00:28:22,156 Speaker 1: you should put in the work to start one yourself. 556 00:28:22,436 --> 00:28:24,996 Speaker 1: That might feel like a big undertaking, but that's what 557 00:28:25,036 --> 00:28:28,836 Speaker 1: previous generations did, and through their efforts they found camaraderie 558 00:28:28,876 --> 00:28:31,636 Speaker 1: and comfort. But the importance of joining and creating new 559 00:28:31,636 --> 00:28:34,156 Speaker 1: third places isn't quite the end of our story today. 560 00:28:34,756 --> 00:28:37,636 Speaker 1: Our individual actions count a lot, but Pete says that 561 00:28:37,636 --> 00:28:41,396 Speaker 1: rebuilding social capital is also a huge societal challenge. 562 00:28:41,596 --> 00:28:44,876 Speaker 4: Cities should take seriously the social infrastructure they have. Our 563 00:28:44,916 --> 00:28:49,076 Speaker 4: libraries are parks, our plazas, where just like how physical 564 00:28:49,116 --> 00:28:53,116 Speaker 4: infrastructure facilitates things like getting the water moving through it 565 00:28:53,196 --> 00:28:56,316 Speaker 4: or the cars moving through it, social infrastructure facilitates the 566 00:28:56,356 --> 00:29:00,236 Speaker 4: building of social capital and the marshaling of social capital 567 00:29:00,276 --> 00:29:01,676 Speaker 4: for community purposes. 568 00:29:01,756 --> 00:29:04,156 Speaker 1: And so in our next episode, we're going to explore 569 00:29:04,156 --> 00:29:06,676 Speaker 1: how those at the top of government are again waking 570 00:29:06,756 --> 00:29:09,116 Speaker 1: up to the need to save the little social infrastructure 571 00:29:09,276 --> 00:29:11,356 Speaker 1: we have left and what plans they have to build 572 00:29:11,436 --> 00:29:14,156 Speaker 1: back the social capital needed to protect our future. 573 00:29:14,876 --> 00:29:20,476 Speaker 4: We have met these truly existential threats in the past 574 00:29:20,516 --> 00:29:22,516 Speaker 4: when we have adjusted as a nation. 575 00:29:22,716 --> 00:29:25,836 Speaker 1: I absolutely believe that we can find a way out. 576 00:29:26,916 --> 00:29:28,916 Speaker 1: So if you dearly want there to be more places 577 00:29:28,916 --> 00:29:33,316 Speaker 1: where everybody knows your name, I hope you'll return for 578 00:29:33,356 --> 00:29:36,236 Speaker 1: the next episode of The Happiness Lab with me doctor 579 00:29:36,316 --> 00:29:48,876 Speaker 1: Lauriy Santos. The Happiness Lab is co written and produced 580 00:29:48,916 --> 00:29:52,516 Speaker 1: by Ryan Dilley. Our original music was composed by Zachary Silver, 581 00:29:52,796 --> 00:29:56,796 Speaker 1: with additional scoring, mixing, and mastering by Evan Viola. Jess 582 00:29:56,796 --> 00:30:00,716 Speaker 1: Shane and Alice Fines offered additional production support. Special thanks 583 00:30:00,756 --> 00:30:03,076 Speaker 1: to my agent, Ben Davis and all of the Pushkin crew. 584 00:30:03,436 --> 00:30:05,916 Speaker 1: The Happiness Lab is brought to you by Pushkin Industries. 585 00:30:06,076 --> 00:30:09,196 Speaker 1: Any doctor, Lauriy Santos on