{"product_id":"9780062448958_strange-contagion","title":"Strange Contagion","description":"\u003cp\u003ePicking up where The Tipping Point leaves off, respected journalist Lee Daniel Kravetz’s Strange Contagion is a provocative look at both the science and lived experience of social contagion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2009, tragedy struck the town of Palo Alto: A student from the local high school had died by suicide by stepping in front of an oncoming train. Grief-stricken, the community mourned what they thought was an isolated loss. Until, a few weeks later, it happened again. And again. And again. In six months, the high school lost five students to suicide at those train tracks. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA recent transplant to the community and a new father himself, Lee Daniel Kravetz’s experience as a science journalist kicked in: what was causing this tragedy? More important, how was it possible that a suicide cluster could develop in a community of concerned, aware, hyper-vigilant adults? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe answer? Social contagion. We all know that ideas, emotions, and actions are communicable—from mirroring someone’s posture to mimicking their speech patterns, we are all driven by unconscious motivations triggered by our environment. But when just the right physiological, psychological, and social factors come together, we get what Kravetz calls a \"strange contagion:\" a perfect storm of highly common social viruses that, combined, form a highly volatile condition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStrange Contagion is simultaneously a moving account of one community’s tragedy and a rigorous investigation of social phenomenon, as Kravetz draws on research and insights from experts worldwide to unlock the mystery of how ideas spread, why they take hold, and offer thoughts on our responsibility to one another as citizens of a globally and perpetually connected world. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlending personal narrative with rigorous science, \u003ci\u003eStrange Contagion\u003c\/i\u003e unpacks the invisible forces that shape our lives:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Science of Social Contagion:\u003c\/b\u003e An unflinching look at the Palo Alto suicide cluster and the chilling evidence of how thoughts, behaviors, and emotions can spread like a virus.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Unconscious Mind:\u003c\/b\u003e A deep dive into the hidden world of mirror neurons, memes, and primes—the unconscious triggers that influence everything from our moods to our most critical life decisions.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eGroup Dynamics in Action:\u003c\/b\u003e Why do some ideas go viral while others fade? Kravetz explores the perfect storm of factors that allows a \"strange contagion\" to take hold in a community.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eMedia Influence and Moral Responsibility:\u003c\/b\u003e From the Werther effect to modern social media, an essential investigation into our role in spreading both harmful and helpful ideas in a connected world.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHope and Resilience:\u003c\/b\u003e Beyond the tragedy, this is a story of how communities can fight back, interrupt negative patterns, and learn to spread courage, happiness, and hope.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Lee Daniel Kravetz","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47132709585045,"sku":"9780062448958","price":10.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/x750_f00373db-a26c-4874-8961-a9be70c1fc2a.jpg?v=1776889840","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9780062448958_strange-contagion","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}