In this episode of Mind the Gap, Michael reflects on a small moment in a bank queue that reveals a much larger shift in how we connect. As more organisations encourage us to use apps and digital services instead of speaking to real people, something subtle is happening beneath the surface. Drawing on recent research from almost seventeen thousand young adults, a global dataset of twenty-eight thousand people across one hundred and sixty-six countries, and long-term trends in emotional intelligence studies, Michael explores what experts are now calling an emotional recession. The conversation looks at how declining everyday interactions weaken the emotional skills we rely on for empathy, patience, and presence. Stoic ideas from Musonius Rufus and Cleanthes help frame the episode, reminding us that character is shaped in community and that emotional intelligence is learned through contact with others. This episode asks an important question. What happens when convenience replaces connection, and how do we protect the emotional muscles that only grow through real human interaction? Books by Michael Comyn, Mind the Gap, The Next Station Is, and Between the Lines, are available on Amazon.ie. https://amzn.eu/d/hNBGotF

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