Plays Well with Others by Eric Barker

PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS by Eric Barker is subtitled “The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships is (Mostly) Wrong.” Blogger Eric Barker, who has written previously about work and success in Barking Up the Wrong Tree, adopts a humorous approach to investigating current research about relationships. He begins with a short vignette about hostage negotiation and moves on to a section on judging other people. Each chapter begins with a memorable story (e.g., Mrs. Sherlock Holmes) and concludes with a transition (e.g., “the primary thing we have to contend with is our own cognitive biases. …”) to the next. He focuses on 4 main questions: Can you judge a book by its cover? Is a friend in need a friend indeed? Does love conquer all? And, Is no man an island? Barker does an excellent job of commenting on concepts like loneliness, popularity, technology versus face-to-face interactions, cooperation, belonging, to name just a few. Library Journal describes PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS as a “humorous, science-based exploration of human relationships and what makes them last.” Students and readers in general will find it to be an enjoyable, informative read. I definitely recommend Barker’s new title, especially to our Psychology teachers.