Through the Looking Glass: Self and Society

Humans are social animals and have evolved to be sensitive to other people's evaluations of us. I'll discuss how this has led to a modern crisis of poor mental health as we struggle to make connections with one another and feel valued in an unequal world of status competition and anxiety.

The number of people unable to afford food is at record levels in the UK. In 2015/16 Trussell Trust food banks gave out over a million parcels of food to people in need. Communities across the UK have responded quickly to rising hunger. They have set up food banks and soup kitchens, encouraged more people to get involved in community gardens, and sold food that would otherwise go to waste in cafes. However, we still know very little about what is actually going on. This talk will ask key questions. How are communities responding? What works and what fails?