Plain English with Derek Thompson Plain English BEST OF: The Antisocial Century
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Dec 9, 2025 
In this insightful discussion, Nick Epley, a behavioral science professor at the University of Chicago, delves into the paradox of human isolation. He highlights research revealing how people often misread social interactions, leading to unnecessary solitude. Epley shares experiments showing that small conversations can significantly enhance mood, challenging the expectation that solitude feels better. He emphasizes the importance of building social habits and suggests that intentional interactions can enrich our lives and foster deeper connections.
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Monastic Self-Optimization Trend
- Young men are increasing alone time fastest and some cultural trends celebrate optimization and solitary routines like 'secular monks.'
- Social-media morning-routine videos often depict lives devoid of other people, promoting monastic self-optimization.
Middle-Ring Loss Fuels Polarization
- Solitude strengthens inner (family) and outer (tribal) rings while hollowing out the middle ring of neighbors and local tolerance.
- The loss of this 'village' cooling agent fuels political intolerance and polarization.
Red Hat Epiphany On The Train
- Nick Epley tried talking to a woman on his train and observed her brighten instantly after a friendly comment about her hat.
- That moment sparked experiments testing whether brief conversations improve mood for commuters.