How to fight loneliness, with Dr. Natalie Kerr and Dr. Jaime Kurtz
With and For hosted by Dr. Pam KingShow Notes
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Social connection is critical for our wellbeing – it’s as important as shelter and food. Combating loneliness can feel risky sometimes - especially if it means reaching out to a stranger. We might fear awkwardness or even rejection. But it’s worth it.
Dr. Natalie Kerr and Dr. Jaime Kurtz are psychologists and professors at James Madison University. Together their work focuses on social connection and how modern life shapes our relationships.
Their new book is Our New Social Life: Science-Backed Strategies for Creating Meaningful Connection.
Natalie and Jamie discuss some of the barriers to making connections that we need to watch out for. And they share those all-important practical tools to deepen our relationships and combat loneliness. We also talk about how our spiritual lives can make us feel more connected – even when we’re alone.
Resources
Seven Barriers to Building More Meaningful Connection
Interview with John Cacioppo on loneliness
How to Build Bonds with Others
Creating Meaningful Connections
With & For is a podcast of the Thrive Center, an applied research center that exists to catalyze a movement of human thriving, with and for others through spiritual health.
Learn more at thethrivecenter.org.
Follow us on Instagram @thrivecenter
Follow us on LinkedIn @thethrivecenter
Dr. Pamela Ebstyne King hosts With & For, and is the Executive Director of the Thrive Center and the Peter L. Benson Professor of Applied Developmental Science at the School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy at Fuller Seminary. Follow her @drpamking.
About With & For
Host: Dr. Pam King
Senior Director and Producer: Jill Westbrook
Operations Manager: Lauren Kim
Social Media & Graphic Designer: Wren Juergensen
Senior Producer: Clare Wiley
Executive Producer: Jakob Lewis
Produced by Great Feeling Studios
Special thanks to the team at Fuller Studio and Fuller Seminary’s School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy. The podcast was made possible through the support from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.
More from With and For hosted by Dr. Pam King
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R is for Relationships & Community. Spirituality and faith have as much to do with our human relationships as with our relationship with the divine. We are essentially relational beings. In an era when a lot of people are renegotiating their faith and how they engage religion or spirituality–this one is often overlooked. But to be spiritually healthy–we need others. The late, great relationship expert and therapist Dr. Sue Johnson joined Dr. King along with Dr. Jim Furrow to discuss the science of relationships. This re-aired episode is part of our Best of With & For series.
H is for Habits & Rhythms. Healthy spirituality involves spiritual habits or practices. It also involves regular rhythms–of rest, celebration, work, connection. Dr. Richie Davidson, a Buddhist and leading mindfulness researcher offers meditations as well as scientific insight into how we can train our minds for spiritual practices. This re-aired episode is part of our Best of With & For series.
T is for Transcendence. The research shows that an understanding of a loving or benevolent source - something bigger than we are – gives us meaning and offers us greater purpose. Dr. Lisa Miller is one of the leading researchers on spirituality and mental health–and shares her insight into how transcendence impacts us as human beings. This re-aired episode is part of our Best of With & For series.
Introducing our Best Of series, taking a look back at some of our most popular and wisdom-packed episodes from previous seasons.