It used to be thought that our genes were historically immutable and that it was not possible to imagine a conversation between culture and genetics.
Nicholas A. ChristakisRead
There are very fundamental reasons we live our lives in social networks, and if we really understood the role they're playing in our society, we would take better care of social networks and find ways to take advantage of their power to improve our society.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Social networks significantly influence our lives, and understanding their impact can help us harness their power for societal improvement.
In this quote, Nicholas A. Christakis emphasizes the fundamental importance of social networks in shaping human interactions and societal structures. He advocates for a deeper understanding of the roles these networks play, suggesting that if we recognized their potential, we could better cultivate them to enhance our society and utilize their power for positive change.
Themes
Social NetworksRelationshipsSocietyImprovementConnections
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation on community building, you might quote this to emphasize the importance of social networks.
More from Nicholas A. Christakis
All quotes →The reason we form networks is because the benefits of a connected life outweigh the costs. It's to our advantage as individuals and a species to assemble ourselves in this fashion.
Nicholas A. ChristakisRead
Social media and the Internet haven't changed our capacity for social interaction any more than the Internet has changed our ability to be in love or our basic propensity to violence, because those are such fundamental human attributes.
Nicholas A. ChristakisRead
Whether we appreciate it or not, we live out our lives surrounded by an intricate pattern of social connections... We're all embedded in this network; it affects us profoundly and we may be unaware of its existence, of its effect on us.
Nicholas A. ChristakisRead
We and others have done a bunch of work to show that if your real friends online say or do something, it affects you. But if your acquaintances online say or do something, it does not. People on average have about 106 Facebook friends, but only 5 or 6 real friends.
Nicholas A. ChristakisRead
It is well to look around at whom, and not just what, surrounds us. Population structure will change everything. Our health, wealth, and peace depend on it.
Nicholas A. ChristakisRead
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