Dr. Laurie Santos

Yeah, there's not great evidence for it, but my intuition is that the way it works is almost like it's texting sort of the NutraSuite of social connection, right? I was feeling this motivation for social connection and I did it and I got something that was sort of social. I got some information, but like psychologically I'm missing the like nutritious part of it, right?

Yeah, there's not great evidence for it, but my intuition is that the way it works is almost like it's texting sort of the NutraSuite of social connection, right? I was feeling this motivation for social connection and I did it and I got something that was sort of social. I got some information, but like psychologically I'm missing the like nutritious part of it, right?

Yeah, there's not great evidence for it, but my intuition is that the way it works is almost like it's texting sort of the NutraSuite of social connection, right? I was feeling this motivation for social connection and I did it and I got something that was sort of social. I got some information, but like psychologically I'm missing the like nutritious part of it, right?

So it kind of fakes you out into thinking that it's social connection, but it kind of doesn't really work. And I worry that that's what we're all getting a lot of right now, right? It's just so much easier to participate in the NutraSuite version of social connection because as political scientists and sociologists and others have pointed out, it's harder to meet with people in real life.

So it kind of fakes you out into thinking that it's social connection, but it kind of doesn't really work. And I worry that that's what we're all getting a lot of right now, right? It's just so much easier to participate in the NutraSuite version of social connection because as political scientists and sociologists and others have pointed out, it's harder to meet with people in real life.

So it kind of fakes you out into thinking that it's social connection, but it kind of doesn't really work. And I worry that that's what we're all getting a lot of right now, right? It's just so much easier to participate in the NutraSuite version of social connection because as political scientists and sociologists and others have pointed out, it's harder to meet with people in real life.

We don't have these so-called third spaces where we can get together easily anymore, right? There's so many draws of just being on your screen, being alone inside. I think we're kind of missing out. And so a lot of us are kind of starving nutritionally when it comes to social connection because we're going for the wrong stuff.

We don't have these so-called third spaces where we can get together easily anymore, right? There's so many draws of just being on your screen, being alone inside. I think we're kind of missing out. And so a lot of us are kind of starving nutritionally when it comes to social connection because we're going for the wrong stuff.

We don't have these so-called third spaces where we can get together easily anymore, right? There's so many draws of just being on your screen, being alone inside. I think we're kind of missing out. And so a lot of us are kind of starving nutritionally when it comes to social connection because we're going for the wrong stuff.

Or in real time, right? You know, call that friend that you haven't talked to and recognize, because this is clear from the psychological research, that your brain is not telling you to do that. Probably even when you're listening right now, you're like, yeah, I guess that would be helpful for me. But you're not kind of having a craving to talk to your friend.

Or in real time, right? You know, call that friend that you haven't talked to and recognize, because this is clear from the psychological research, that your brain is not telling you to do that. Probably even when you're listening right now, you're like, yeah, I guess that would be helpful for me. But you're not kind of having a craving to talk to your friend.

Or in real time, right? You know, call that friend that you haven't talked to and recognize, because this is clear from the psychological research, that your brain is not telling you to do that. Probably even when you're listening right now, you're like, yeah, I guess that would be helpful for me. But you're not kind of having a craving to talk to your friend.

And I think this is the problem with a lot of the behaviors that map on to happiness is that if you think of the evolutionary pressures for those behaviors, natural selection never had to build in like the goal of feeling social because we were just like in these small bands. It was really easy, right?

And I think this is the problem with a lot of the behaviors that map on to happiness is that if you think of the evolutionary pressures for those behaviors, natural selection never had to build in like the goal of feeling social because we were just like in these small bands. It was really easy, right?

And I think this is the problem with a lot of the behaviors that map on to happiness is that if you think of the evolutionary pressures for those behaviors, natural selection never had to build in like the goal of feeling social because we were just like in these small bands. It was really easy, right?

Natural selection had to build in a kind of craving for sweet, fatty food because those were hard to find. Didn't have to build in the craving for like, you know, a bunch of greens because they were everywhere. I think the same thing is true with social connection. We just don't have a strong motivation to

Natural selection had to build in a kind of craving for sweet, fatty food because those were hard to find. Didn't have to build in the craving for like, you know, a bunch of greens because they were everywhere. I think the same thing is true with social connection. We just don't have a strong motivation to

Natural selection had to build in a kind of craving for sweet, fatty food because those were hard to find. Didn't have to build in the craving for like, you know, a bunch of greens because they were everywhere. I think the same thing is true with social connection. We just don't have a strong motivation to

to seek people out because it was just kind of there and so I think our motivation our reward systems don't cause us to kind of crave it but in the modern day where there's so many substitutes and we're kind of more isolated I think many of us are kind of experiencing the negative effects of loneliness but then when we think well what could I do to get out of it there's not this like I'm starving for connection we don't have this sort of motivational goal to go out and get it

to seek people out because it was just kind of there and so I think our motivation our reward systems don't cause us to kind of crave it but in the modern day where there's so many substitutes and we're kind of more isolated I think many of us are kind of experiencing the negative effects of loneliness but then when we think well what could I do to get out of it there's not this like I'm starving for connection we don't have this sort of motivational goal to go out and get it