Overview
AN INSTANT USA TODAY and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER
From the author of theĀ Wall Street JournalĀ bestsellerĀ Barking Up the Wrong TreeĀ comes a cure-all for our increasing emotional distance and lonelinessāa smart, surprising, and thoroughly entertaining guide to help build better friendships, reignite love, and get closer to others, whether youāre an extrovert or introvert, socially adept or socially anxious.
Can you judge a book by its cover?Ā
Is a friend in need truly a friend indeed?Ā
Does love conquer all?Ā
Is no man an island?Ā
InĀ Plays Well with Others,Ā Eric Barker dives into these age-old maxims drawing on science to reveal the truth beyond the conventional wisdom about human relationships. Combining his compelling storytelling and humor, Barker explains what hostage negotiation techniques and marital arguments have in common, how an expert con-man lied his way into a twenty-year professional soccer career, and why those holding views diametrically opposed to our own actually have the potential to become our closest, most trusted friends.
Inside you will learn:
- The two things essential to making friends ā and what Dale Carnegie got wrong.
- What creates love, reignites love, and sustains love. (Thereās no Build-A-Bear store for a happy marriage but this is close.)
- The ethical and effective way to get your partner to change.
- How social media can actually improve relationships.
- The antidote to loneliness and why what we usually hear doesnāt work.
And so much more.Ā The book is packed with high-five-worthy stories about the greatest female detective to ever live, the most successful liar to ever open his mouth, genius horses, thieving hermits, the perils of perfect memories, and placebos.Ā Leveraging the best evidence availableāfree of platitudes or magical thinkingāBarker analyzes multiple sides of an issue before rendering his verdict. What heās uncovered is surprising, counterintuitive, and timelyāand will change the way you interact in the world and with those around you just when you need it most.
This book title, Plays Well with Others (The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships Is (Mostly) Wrong), ISBN: 9780063204348, by Eric Barker, published by HarperCollins (May 13, 2025) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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