Stanford University psychology professor Geoffrey L. Cohen has used science to show that when people don't have a sense of belonging, negative consequences often follow: diminished performance at school and work, poorer health, increased levels of hostility and more divisive politics. This book offers concrete steps that we can all take to foster belonging. Cohen is known for major studies revealing practical actions ("wise interventions") that creatively reduce conflict in all areas of life. Something as simple as affirming your core values before a test can markedly increase your score. Helping others in even small matters can improve health and happiness. Signaling respect and common cause by making subtle adjustments in the language we use can improve politics and policing. Working for a shared goal can moderate the views of the most bitter enemies. With Cohen's insights, we can all learn "situation-crafting" to reverse the myriad ways in which people are excluded because of race, class, gender and other differences. This essential book empowers educators, parents, managers, administrators, caregivers and everyone who wants those around them to thrive.

We live in enormously polarised times. From politics to race, religion, gender and class, division runs rampant. In 2020, 40 percent of each political party said that supporters of the opposing party were “downright evil.� In 2019, hate crimes reached a ten-year high in the United States. One in five Americans suffers from chronic loneliness, with teenagers and young adults at increasing risk. Social ties at work, at school and in our communities have frayed. How did we become so alienated? Why is our sense of belonging so undermined? What if there were a set of science-backed techniques for navigating modern social life that could help us overcome our differences, create empathy and forge lasting connections even across divides? What if there were a useful set of takeaways for managers and educators of all stripes to create connection even during challenging times? In Belonging, Stanford University professor Geoffrey L. Cohen applies his and others’ groundbreaking research to the myriad problems of communal existence and offers concrete solutions for improving daily life at work, in school, in our homes, and in our communities. We all feel a deep need to belong, but most of us don’t fully appreciate that need in others. Often inadvertently, we behave in ways that threaten others’ sense of belonging. Yet small acts that establish connection, brief activities such as reflecting on our core values, and a suite of practices that Cohen defines as “situation-crafting� have been shown to lessen political polarisation, improve motivation and performance in school and work, combat racism in our communities, enhance health and well-being and unleash the potential in ourselves and in our relationships. Belonging is essential for managers, educators, parents, administrators, caregivers and everyone who wants those around them to thrive.