The Psychiatrist’s Case for Downsizing a Friendship
Psychiatrist and neuroscientist Amir Levine’s new book Secure reframes anxious and avoidant attachment styles as evolutionary assets rather than flaws. He argues that people can boost wellbeing by reshaping their social environment—‘downsizing’ draining relationships and seeking partners who are consistent, available, responsive, reliable and predictable (CARRP). The guide blends neuroscience, evolutionary anecdotes and practical steps, urging readers to treat attachment traits like sensitive orchids that thrive in the right conditions. Levine’s approach challenges the traditional push for universal security and offers a pragmatic roadmap for modern Americans facing declining social trust.
What Atheism Could Not Explain
Christopher Beha, former atheist and Harper's editor, recounts in *Why I Am Not an Atheist* how falling in love with his future wife sparked a return to Catholicism. He argues that secular philosophies—from scientific reductionism to Nietzschean romanticism—cannot account for...