Social isolation

In the new book “Something Between Us: The Everyday Walls of American Life, and How to Take Them Down” a cultural anthropologist examines the social and political divides in the U.S., examining how physical and social barriers like gated communities, massive trucks, and targeted media create separation — and isolation—and looks for how to restore communal caretaking and a more inclusive society.

A study finds that we are happier the more we talk with different categories of people — colleagues, family, strangers — and the more evenly our conversations are spread out among those groups.

Two hundred and thirty five graduation certificates were served up with mashed potatoes and green beans at a local cafeteria Tuesday. It was the largest…