Bücher von David Robson

It is time for us to learn a new way of thinking: a cognitive toolkit to navigate intelligence traps, fake news and to maximise our potential.

In the early 1960s scientists at the University of California, Berkeley set out to establish the key factors effecting health and longevity. Their results, known as the ?Alameda 7', you already know: don't smoke, drink in moderation, sleep seven to eight hours a night, exercise, eat regular meals, maintain a moderate weight, eat breakfast. Years later, however, the same team discovered an eighth factor, one that proved more important than all the others: social connection.When we form meaningful bonds with others, our wounds heal faster, we shake off infections more quickly and our blood pressure drops. We are less likely to have Alzheimer's, heart attacks or strokes. When people feel that they have strong social support, they perform better on tests of mental focus, memory and problem solving. Greater connection can fuel creativity, increase our financial stability and enhance our work productivity. But making friends can also be daunting.In The Laws of Connection, David Robson does two important things: he takes us through the fascinating science behind the effects of social connection and he unpacks the research that shows that we are all better at being social than we might think. We will meet ideas such as ?the liking gap' and ?the gratitude gap', learn to recognise ?frenemies' and discover a powerful conversational strategy known as the ?fast-friends procedure' that promotes instant rapport. Being social doesn't have to mean having dozens of friends, it can also mean having one true, deep connection with another person. As Robson shows, we can all benefit from the laws of connection.

?Institutions of higher education were thrust into the political arena in the 1960s, a not unique situation according to David Robson in his detailed, well-researched study of colleges during the era of the American Revolution... The author explores in considerable depth not only the political nature of the college curricula, but also the activism of both faculties and students. From their inception, colonial colleges were committed to training their students for public service, a legacy of their Engligh heritage. Steeped in the literature of the Commonwealth Whig ideology, students and faculty were ripe for involvement with the outbreak of hostilities, most on the rebel side, but some in defense of the Crown. Many of the 16 colleges (still in existence) founded in the 1780s and 1790s on the frontier differed somewhat from this model, for they had more of a religious and cultural mission but they were still activist. This is an important addition to our understanding of the history of higher education, adding an important dimension to the recent studies of Steven Novak (The Rights of Youth, CH, Jul '77), and Jurgen Herbst (From Crisis to Crisis, CH, Sep '82). Useful footnotes and a note on sources. Highly recommended for college libraries.?-CHOICE