A brilliant synthesis of work across many disciplines showing how a lack of meaning, hope, relationships, nature, or other basic needs can be the ultimate cause of our prevalent mental health issues, including anxiety and addiction.
A broad look at our inherently gregarious nature: how we're designed to be constantly interacting with others, down to the cellular level, and just how much can go terribly wrong when we're lonely.
Another look at why the pain of loneliness shows up just like physical pain in the brain: because our need for empathy, for real human connection, is even more fundamental than our need for food and water.
A grueling account of work among the those hovering on the edge of death, showing the poignant reality of what a lonely childhood, even among the most caring family, can do. A distracted or stressed out parent, despite their best intentions, communicates anxiety to their child, and this unease can last a lifetime. For more on this topic, see also Mate's previous book, Scattered.
A history of "dislocation," the dynamic by which individuals and entire societies are uprooted and disconnected from the necessities of mental health. By the creator of the "Rat Park" experiment.
Possibly the most valuable solution to every crisis we face, from addiction to climate change, this book outlines a "life-serving" approach to relating with each other and ourselves. Based on empathy, it argues that anything is possible once we share our feelings and our needs.
An incredible modern exposition of ancient wisdom pointing to the universal human challenge of overcoming the illusion of the ego: the false idea of separation that underlies loneliness, violence, and addiction, the insatiable need for "more."