The Crisis of Connection with Niobe Way

In this episode, host Roger Berkowitz, the academic director and founder of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, interviews Niobe Way, a professor of developmental psychology and founder of the Project for the Advancement of Our Common Humanity at NYU. The conversation covers the upcoming Hannah Arendt Center conference on JOY: Loving the World in Dark Times, the inherent human need for connections, particularly through friendships, and the societal issues leading to a 'crisis of connection.' Way delves into her research with young people, the importance of human relationships for mental health, and how this crisis impacts both men and women. The conversation explores how fostering joy in interpersonal relationships can counteract the feelings of loneliness and disconnection prevalent in modern society. Way emphasizes the potential to rekindle human connection through simple acts of curiosity, care, and cooperation.

Dr. Niobe Way is Professor of Developmental Psychology and the founder of the Project for the Advancement of Our Common Humanity at New York University. She is also past President of the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA) and co-director of the Center for Research on Culture, Development, and Education at NYU. Her work focuses on the intersections of culture, context, and human development, with a particular focus on social and emotional development and how cultural ideologies influence developmental trajectories. The Listening Project, her current project with Joseph Nelson, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, David Kirkland, and Alisha Ali, aims to foster curiosity and connection in and outside of middle school classrooms across New York City. In addition, she created and teaches a core course for undergraduates at NYU called The Science of Human Connection. The course describes her theoretical and empirical framework developed over three decades and discussed in her latest co-edited book The Crisis of Connection: Its Roots, Consequences, and Solution (NYU Press).

Niobe Way will be speaking at the annual fall conference on October 16-17, 2025 at Bard College. Registration is now open and it's free to HAC members, so join the Center. Or register to attend virtually for free and host a Watch Party wherever you are.