In the ‘Stranger in My Room’ podcast our hyper-social nature is explored using a thought experiment that reveals our obsession with what other people think of us. This is linked to our survival mechanisms as a species – both in terms of our interdependence and in terms of the ‘threat of the stranger’. The practical implications of this are that we should take notice of our gut reactions when we are indeed uncomfortable with someone, but, on the other hand, we should recognize we have a negativity bias built in that is probably not as relevant in our relatively safe modern environment. Finally, it is suggested that by being our best self towards others it is likely we will elicit ‘the better angels of their nature’.
