Design and Architecture
Facebook Compassion, Broken Relationships and Lonely Cities
What becomes of the relics of a broken romance? Facebook's compassion research team is designing tools to relieve its users' break-up pain. Then, LA's new Museum of Broken Relationships features totems of heartbreak. And a writer talks about loneliness in the big city – and whether designers can alleviate solitude.
By Frances Anderton • • 29m ListenPhoto: Texas license plate. Courtesy the Museum of Broken Relationships
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In this episode
3 storiesFacebook Compassion
Love and loss can be complicated. If you've shared a romance with all of Facebook – and then it ends – can the company design a way to relieve your break-up pain? How much does a caring symbol help? We talk to Dacher Keltner, an expert on the psychology of emotion, who is a consultant on Facebook's “Compassion” team .
Read the story7 minThe Museum of Broken Relationships
The mementos of broken relationships usually sit in a dusty closet. So what happens when someone decides to collect them and display them to the public? Meet Alexis Hyde, director of the new Los Angeles Museum of Broken Relationships, on Hollywood Boulevard.
Read the story11 minThe Lonely City
Years ago, Olivia Laing packed her bags, moved from the UK to New York, and found herself very isolated. The experience fueled her latest book, The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone . We sat down with her in the studio, and asked: what is it about a city teeming with people that can make us still feel so lonely?
Read the story9 min
