Maybe Bowling Alone Isn't So Bad After All

Robert Putnam's 2000 book Bowling Alone famously popularized the notion of social capital – or, rather, the consequences for society when we start to lose it. Bowling leagues, church groups, and other civic associations, he argued, help us form invaluable social connections (of the kind that don't exist when we all sit at home watching TV alone). And these connections help create greater trust within communities, stronger social cohesion and higher rates of political participation.

Get involved in a rec league, in other words, and you're more likely to get involved in your community in other ways as well (or to encounter people who will encourage you to). As a result, communities with higher social capital are better positioned to respond to disasters, solve problems or tackle poverty. Conversely, a low-income single mom in a community with low social capital is likely to have a harder time finding an after-school baby sitter, or tips about a better job.