The Social Paradox

“What a splendid read! I loved this wise, eye-opening, and, yes, sometimes breathtaking book. Von Hippel presents a radically new way to understand why human happiness has diminished. What’s more, he offers superlative advice for how to get back on track.”— Sonja Lyubomirsky, New York Times bestselling author of The How of Happiness“A profound meditation on the human condition. Von Hippel’s immense wisdom shines through in beautiful prose. Charming anecdotes and personal reflections bring to vivid life the insights he gleaned from remarkable mastery of what countless scientists have learned from studying all manner of animals, early humankind, and citizens of the modern world.” — Roy Baumeister, New York Times bestselling author of Willpower“A fresh perspective on navigating life’s complexities and building deeper, more meaningful relationships. Von Hippel’s insightful and thought-provoking analysis sheds light on why human happiness has diminished, offering practical advice to help us restore balance in our lives.” — Rob Henderson, bestselling author of Troubled“This book is exactly what we need right now. Post-pandemic, post–iPhone revolution, we have never felt so isolated, dependent on unsatisfying social media, and overstressed from joyless work. Von Hippel explains how we got into this mess and how to get out of it, often with surprisingly simple solutions for rebalancing in a chaotic modern world.” — Martie Haselton, bestselling author of Hormonal“Von Hippel poses a fascinating dilemma—how we strike a balance between the desire for autonomy and the need to belong. In a gripping and highly readable book, he argues that in the modern western world, the balance has gone awry. Correcting this imbalance becomes a key to living a happy and deeply satisfying life.” — David M. Buss, bestselling author of The Evolution of Desire“Von Hippel (The Social Leap) explores humanity’s desire for connection and autonomy, how these two poles are in conflict, and how to resolve the paradox inherent in a need for both. Offering new ways to balance the interplay, von Hippel explores the ramifications of these evolutionary drives.” — Library Journal“[An] illuminating treatise. Most intriguing are his explorations of the sometimes counterintuitive links between autonomy and connection. This persuades.” — Publishers Weekly“A thought-provoking look at how to bring balance back into our lives.” — Kirkus Reviews“A thought-provoking exploration into humans’ two core evolutionary needs, for connection and autonomy, how the modern world has thrown them out of whack and how we can rebalance them to improve our lives” — The Next Big Idea Club

William von Hippel grew up in Alaska, got his B.A. at Yale and his PhD at the University of Michigan, and taught for a dozen years at Ohio State University before finding his way to Australia, where he was a professor of psychology at the University of Queensland. He has published more than 150 articles, chapters, and edited books, and his research has been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, The Economist, Le Monde, El Mundo, Der Spiegel, and The Australian. He lives in Brisbane, Australia.