In theory, you and i are having a face to face conversation. It's like me watching you in a film as upposed alive. But we're missing that mirroring effect that we would get in real life. When you're in a room with someone, what happens is, when they smile, am at your brain. So if somebody smiles, you ill, so feel a bit happi ror. If somebodyis sad, you feel a bit sad as well. I think no part of it is the actual the fact that we are narcisistic creatures,. We are distracted by our own images, which wich are up on the screensotalca, by make-up
Author and economist Noreena Hertz of University College London talks about her book, The Lonely Century, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Hertz blames social media and the individualist, pro-capitalism worldviews of leaders like Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan for the rise in loneliness in the developed world. Russ suggests some alternative causes. The result is a lively conversation about understanding and explaining social trends.