‘Wired for Connection’: The Science of Kindness, and Why Hope Outweighs Cynicism
You may have seen these viral stories on your social media feeds: a frightened shelter dog bonding with their foster; a passerby helping a street vendor by buying all their merchandise; an artist drawing a portrait of a stranger and listening to their life story. These acts strike a nerve, and it turns out we humans are actually wired for this kind of kindness, connection and empathy. That’s what Dr. Jamil Zaki has discovered in the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab. He’s a professor of psychology and the author of Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness. He sat down with host Sasha Khokha in January and shared some data-driven reasons why we shouldn’t be cynical, even in really hard times.
At Oakland’s Freedom Community Clinic, Culture is Part of ‘Whole-Person Healing’
The Freedom Community Clinic provides free herbal remedies, massage services and healing workshops at their two apothecaries in Oakland. And last fall, they launched the Ancestral Healing Farm, where people of color are encouraged to learn about ancestral practices and reconnect with the land. The goal of founder Dr. Bernie Lim is to reach people who might mistrust the mainstream medical system because of racism or cultural incompetency. KQED Arts & Culture Editor Nastia Voynovskaya brought us this profile in January.
Half Moon Bay’s Legendary Jazz Spot That Started in a Living Room
Just a few steps from the ocean in Half Moon Bay sits a 60-year-old music venue with an unusual name, an amazing history and some of the best live jazz music you could ever hope to find. We’re digging into our Hidden Gems archives to bring you a story from Reporter Ryan Levi, who visited the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society back in 2018.
