Robert Putnam: What Does It Mean To Be a Social Capitalist? (and how does it affect our health?)

2026-08-18 · 44 min · 50 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

→ hosted by Vivek Murthy person

0.55

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Vivek Murthy
→ hosted by Staying Human person

0.55

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Staying Human
→ discusses Mental Health person

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: mental health
→ discusses Relationships concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: relationships
→ discusses Medicine website

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: medicine
→ discusses Spirituality concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: spirituality
→ discusses Health concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: health
→ discusses Happiness website

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: happiness
→ discusses Community website

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: community
→ discusses Loneliness book

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: loneliness
→ discusses Purpose person

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: purpose
→ discusses Wellness concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: wellness
→ discusses well-being concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: well-being
→ discusses Inspiration website

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: inspiration
→ discusses social connection concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: social connection
→ discusses health & well-being concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: health & well-being
→ discusses emotional well-being concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: emotional well-being
→ discusses meaning concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: meaning
→ discusses public health concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: public health
→ discusses isolation concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: isolation
→ discusses togetherness concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: togetherness
→ discusses personal growth concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: personal growth
→ references vivekmurthy.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "Robert Putnam: What Does It Mean To Be a Social Capitalist? (and how does it affect our health?)": https://vivekmurthy.com/
→ references joinordiefilm.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "Robert Putnam: What Does It Mean To Be a Social Capitalist? (and how does it affect our health?)": https://joinordiefilm.com/
→ references robertdputnam.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "Robert Putnam: What Does It Mean To Be a Social Capitalist? (and how does it affect our health?)": http://robertdputnam.com/

Entities found in this episode

concepts 26

mentioned Relationships concept

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: relationships
mentioned Spirituality concept

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: spirituality
mentioned Health concept

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: health
mentioned Wellness concept

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: wellness
mentioned well-being concept

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: well-being
mentioned social connection concept

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: social connection
mentioned health & well-being concept

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: health & well-being
mentioned emotional well-being concept

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: emotional well-being
mentioned meaning concept

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: meaning
mentioned public health concept

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: public health
mentioned isolation concept

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: isolation
mentioned togetherness concept

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: togetherness
mentioned personal growth concept

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: personal growth
discusses Relationships concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: relationships
discusses Spirituality concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: spirituality
discusses Health concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: health
discusses Wellness concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: wellness
discusses well-being concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: well-being
discusses social connection concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: social connection
discusses health & well-being concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: health & well-being
discusses emotional well-being concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: emotional well-being
discusses meaning concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: meaning
discusses public health concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: public health
discusses isolation concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: isolation
discusses togetherness concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: togetherness
discusses personal growth concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: personal growth

websites 14

mentioned Medicine website

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: medicine
mentioned Happiness website

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: happiness
mentioned Community website

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: community
mentioned Inspiration website

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: inspiration
mentioned vivekmurthy.com website

0.45

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "Robert Putnam: What Does It Mean To Be a Social Capitalist? (and how does it affect our health?)": https://vivekmurthy.com/
mentioned joinordiefilm.com website

0.45

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "Robert Putnam: What Does It Mean To Be a Social Capitalist? (and how does it affect our health?)": https://joinordiefilm.com/
mentioned robertdputnam.com website

0.45

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "Robert Putnam: What Does It Mean To Be a Social Capitalist? (and how does it affect our health?)": http://robertdputnam.com/
discusses Medicine website

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: medicine
discusses Happiness website

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: happiness
discusses Community website

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: community
discusses Inspiration website

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: inspiration
references vivekmurthy.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "Robert Putnam: What Does It Mean To Be a Social Capitalist? (and how does it affect our health?)": https://vivekmurthy.com/
references joinordiefilm.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "Robert Putnam: What Does It Mean To Be a Social Capitalist? (and how does it affect our health?)": https://joinordiefilm.com/
references robertdputnam.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "Robert Putnam: What Does It Mean To Be a Social Capitalist? (and how does it affect our health?)": http://robertdputnam.com/

persons 8

mentioned Vivek Murthy person

0.70

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Vivek Murthy
mentioned Staying Human person

0.70

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Staying Human
hosted by Vivek Murthy person

0.55

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Vivek Murthy
hosted by Staying Human person

0.55

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Staying Human
mentioned Mental Health person

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: mental health
mentioned Purpose person

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: purpose
discusses Mental Health person

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: mental health
discusses Purpose person

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: purpose

books 2

mentioned Loneliness book

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: loneliness
discusses Loneliness book

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: loneliness

Episode description as stored

How many of us have felt the deep need to belong, but weren’t sure where to start? In this episode, recorded live at WBUR in Boston, Vivek sits down with the Harvard professor, author, and friend for a wide-ranging conversation on building community. Robert Putnam saw America's social fracturing coming decades before anyone else did. His book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, put a name to the collapse of community life in the U.S, tracking the disappearance of the bowling leagues, church groups, and civic clubs that used to hold neighborhoods together. More recently, his ideas have reached a new generation through Join or Die , a documentary that has screened hundreds of times in communities across the country. Putnam traces his own lifelong preoccupation with connection back to a lonely childhood in Port Clinton, Ohio, and a mother who refused to let it stay that way. He unpacks “social capital” — what it is, and why it matters for both our health and our democracy. Bob also offers wisdom and hope from the last time America clawed its way back from a time of strikingly similar isolation, inequality, and division during the Progressive Era. From that history, he shares three lessons for us all today today, as we seek to build more connection in our lives. Putnam also opens up about his wife Rosemary, one of the most talented “social capitalists” he knows, and reflects on what he holds onto — quite literally, in old photographs — when he needs to remember what matters most. Join Or Die Documentary: https://joinordiefilm.com/ Bob Putnam: http://robertdputnam.com/ --- IG @drvivekmurthy Substack vivekmurthy.substack.com/ More about your host, Dr. Vivek Murthy https://www.vivekmurthy.com #StayingHuman #RobertPutnam #BowlingAlone #JoinOrDie #VivekMurthy #Community #Loneliness #Civics #Duty #Democracy #AmericanLife