Bowling Alone
by Robert D. Putnam
Putnam's documentation of the decline of American social capital since the 1960s: clubs, churches, unions, dinner parties, bowling leagues, and the costs to health, democracy and happiness. It is data-heavy and foundational, and its central finding, that connection is collapsing and matters enormously, has only grown more urgent.
Read it if…
you want to understand the loneliness epidemic at its root.
Skip it if…
you want personal advice; it is sociology.
Three things you will actually use
- Social capital predicts health and happiness.
- Recurring, in-person groups are the unit of connection.
- Rebuilding it is individual as well as civic.
Do this first
Join one recurring group this month, anything with regular meetings and real people.
Our verdict
Foundational sociology.
Compare with other Relationships books
Boundaries in Marriage
Henry Cloud and John Townsend · Relationships
Practical and widely used.
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The Highly Sensitive Person in Love
Elaine N. Aron · Relationships
Specific and useful for couples.
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