Connection and kindness during the pandemic

We discuss the importance of staying socially connected even when apart and the acts of kindness that are inspiring people during the pandemic.

Listen 49:29
Peck's Food owner Theodore Peck touches hands with a customer through window glass while closing his storefront due to the coronavirus outbreak, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Peck's Food owner Theodore Peck touches hands with a customer through window glass while closing his storefront due to the coronavirus outbreak, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Guests: Will Sommer, Jamil Zaki

Many of us are practicing social distancing to help slow the spread of the coronavirus – keeping away from other people and staying at home. But the isolation can be frightening and harmful for our mental and physical health. So this hour, we’ll talk about ways to stay connected with others and how to keep mentally fit. We’ll also look at surprising and inspiring examples of empathy and kindness during this challenging time. Our guest is Stanford psychologist JAMIL ZAKI, who directs the Stanford Social Neuroscience Laboratory and is the author ofThe War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World. But first, we’ll talk about how different right-wing media outlets have been covering the pandemic, the effect it’s having on their viewers, and the shocking conspiratorial question that a reporter from OAN asked at yesterdays White House press briefing. Daily Beast reporter WILL SOMMER joins us.

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