Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way)

Do you have a Third Place? Your first place is home, your second place is work, and your third place is where you go to socialize. As more of our lives are spent online and in digital spaces, these often overlooked "Third Places" play a crucial role in keeping our communities vibrant. In a timely and thoughtful examination, Richard Kyte, PhD, explores the places that nurture our souls and make up the bedrock of our communities. Third Places can range from a neighborhood tavern, to a community center, to a local bookstore or coffee shop. They are the critical gathering spaces where friendships are formed, relationships are nurtured, and the tapestry of community is woven. Yet, for an ever-growing list of reasons, many people today find themselves without a third place of their own. At a time when our nation is facing an epidemic of loneliness, when communities are suffering from loss of trust, low levels of engagement, despair, and political polarization, what if the answer to many of our problems lies in a simple idea? What if we just need to pay attention to the places where we find ourselves?