The Start-Up of You

Physical proximity is actually one of the best predictors of the strength of a relationship, many studies show.

Some people hesitate to ask too many questions because they fear it will make them look ignorant. It won’t. It’ll make you look like a curious, intelligent person hungering for valuable information.

Third, people can filter information you get from other sources. People can tell you which books to read; which parts of the article are important; which search results to ignore; which people to trust or not trust. People help focus your attention on the intelligence that’s actionable and relevant. In an age of information overload, this is an incredibly valuable benefit.

Finally, many people simply think better thoughts when in dialogue with others. Remember IWe: an individual’s power is raised exponentially with the help of a network. This is partly because when information moves back and forth between knowledgeable people who care, the signal strengthens. Two (or more) well-coordinated brains beat one every time.