Reflections on Research and the Impact of BrainWise
Posted On: August 8, 2024Loneliness.
“Join or Die” is the title of a new documentary about Dr. Robert Putnam’s extensive research on loneliness (https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=4oDVf8sOG9w.)
The Harvard political scientist wrote Bowling Alone in 2000 and presented data showing the transformation of Americans from being social joiners to becoming isolated individuals. He warned of the negative consequences of this shift, including premature death and social unrest.
Dr. Putnam hoped the red flags raised by his research, conducted over more than 25 years, would boost a resurgence of fellowship. The documentary traces his efforts to use his findings to reverse the trend of increasing isolation. Instead, the problem has only worsened. In a recent New York Times interview about the film, he said the nation has become lonelier and more divided.
Reflecting on his work, he said “the only way to fix it is for us to start feeling that we have an obligation to care for other people.”
Unexpected Connections. BrainWise has benefited from Dr. Putnam’s research on loneliness and incorporated it into Wise Way #2, “Build a Constellation of Support.” Other research confirmed the importance of this concept, as well the need to learn other behavioral skills. This discovery was an aha! moment for me. It helped explain the impulsive, non-thinking behaviors that created problems in the lives of students and families in my caseload. I expected them to have skills they had never learned, and the idea of seeking help from experts for help or friendship from a group was something they had never considered.
Read more about Dr. Putnam’s work and other academics who have had an impact on BrainWise in the most recent newsletter. https://conta.cc/3Swwp2n
Learn more about research on BrainWise and results showing its impact on individuals. The BrainWise Program – The BrainWise Program – Research and Results (brainwise-plc.org)
