Coffee shops, churches, libraries, and concert venues are all shared spaces where mingling can take place. Yet the hustle and bustle of modern social life can pose challenges to relationship-building—even in spaces designed for exactly that.

In this episode of How to Talk to People, we analyze how American efficiency culture holds us back from connecting in public, whether social spaces create a culture of interaction, and what it takes to actively participate in a community.

Hosted by Julie Beck, produced by Rebecca Rashid, edited by Jocelyn Frank and Claudine Ebeid. Fact-check by Ena Alvarado, and engineering by Rob Smierciak.

Build community with us via email! Write to us at [email protected]. To support this podcast, and get unlimited access to all of The Atlantic’s journalism, become a subscriber.

Music by Alexandra Woodward (“A Little Tip”); Arthur Benson (“Charmed Encounter,” “She Is Whimsical,” “Organized Chaos”); Gavin Luke (“Nadir”); Ryan James Carr (“Botanist Boogie Breakdown”); Tellsonic (“The Whistle Funk”); Dust Follows (“Willet”); Auxjack (“Mellow Soul”).


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🎨: The Atlantic