The Joy of Connections

100 ways to beat loneliness and live a happier and more meaningful life
Ruth K. Westheimer

‘Dr Ruth’s strategies are essential for building the kinds of bonds that will reduce loneliness and transform lives.’

Gretchen Rubin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project

‘Who better to take on the loneliness epidemic than the legend who helped us talk about sex without blushing. As Dr Ruth knows, our needs go well beyond the bedroom. This is urgent work. We're lucky to have her in the fight.’

Dan Harris

View all reviews

‘I understand from my unique perch that Americans are suffering. We need help learning how to reconnect with each other. Dr Ruth’s wisdom comes at just the right time.’

Sunny Hostin

‘Dr Ruth has done it again! If only I could give this book to my lonely twenty-something self.’

Judy Blume

‘With her newest book, The Joy of Connections, my friend and honorary bubbe Dr Ruth has brought her particular brand of expertise and insight to address the crisis of loneliness. She is as practical, savvy, enthusiastic, and tough as ever — all her best qualities — to help us all face the challenges of loneliness and improve our wellbeing.’

Nate Berkus

‘Dr Ruth’s brilliance and insight into human behaviour will continue to enlighten and support all those whose loneliness and isolation have been crippling.’

Vera Wang

‘Dr Ruth brings her decades of therapeutic experience to offer a practical approach for building relationships. Her Menu for Connection is a how-to guide for anyone struggling with loneliness. If you have ever found yourself wondering, “How can I do this?”, now you literally have 100 ways!’

Dr Julianne Holt-Lunstad, director of the Social Connection & Health Lab and lead scientific editor for the US Surgeon General’s Advisory on loneliness and isolation

‘This is a delightful and timely reminder that humans are supposed to be social, sincere and companionable and it offers a series of practical tips that are easy to fold into your life to make that happen.’

Adele Parks, Platinum Magazine

Praise for Stay or Go: Dr Ruth’s rules for real relationships:

‘Ever practical, Dr Ruth wants to help you figure out whether you have enough of the whole package — love, lust, trust — to make the union worth saving.’

AARP Magazine

Praise for Stay or Go: Dr Ruth’s rules for real relationships:

‘A clearly written, succinct resource for those waffling with the decision to stay or move on from a long-term relationship.’

Library Journal

Praise for The Doctor Is In: Dr Ruth on love, life, and joie de vivre:

‘An exuberant celebration of life by America’s favourite octogenarian sex guru … Her warmth, wit, and wisdom shine through this lively account of a life well-lived. A joy for her many fans, old and new.’

Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Doctor Is In: Dr Ruth on love, life, and joie de vivre:

‘Part memoir and part life manual, the latest from renowned sex therapist Dr Westheimer uses stories from her remarkable, often arduous journey to instruct readers on embracing positivity … Her wit and brassy style breathe new life into familiar self-help material.’

Publishers Weekly

‘Nonagenarian therapist Ruth Westheimer speaks from deep experience when she offers counsel on how to overcome loneliness … She urges readers to take practical steps: get a dog, buy colourful clothes, be an active listener, become a mentor, talk to strangers, write honest profiles on dating apps. A lifetime’s insight informs this upbeat guide to building social and intimate connections with others.’

Cameron Woodhead and Fiona Capp, The Sydney Morning Herald

An urgent guide to combatting the loneliness epidemic, with 100 ways to increase connectivity right now, from the iconic therapist and Holocaust survivor appointed as New York’s first-ever loneliness ambassador.

US surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy recently sounded the alarm that loneliness ‘represents an urgent public health concern’ — social media overuse, the effects of the pandemic, and the lack of ‘third places’ have all combined to make us more alone than we’ve ever been. Now, trusted therapist Dr Ruth K. Westheimer has made it her mission to shine a light on the problem and help us break out of the box of isolation.

We are social animals. We are not meant to live in solitude. We have a shared desire to connect and create lasting bonds with the people around us. But the heaviness of loneliness can make this feel impossible. In tackling this problem with compassion and her trademark no-nonsense approach to therapy, Dr Ruth provides practical, sincere strategies for finding companionship, community, and intimacy.

With her tips on navigating family, finding friends and lovers, and using technology in healthy ways, you will find wisdom and help here, whether you’ve been struggling with loneliness for years or only recently. The Joy of Connections isn’t just a guidebook for overcoming loneliness: it’s a vital kick in the pants we all need to start seeking — and finding — deep and lasting human connections.

‘Dr Ruth’s strategies are essential for building the kinds of bonds that will reduce loneliness and transform lives.’

Gretchen Rubin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project

Dan Harris

View all reviews

‘I understand from my unique perch that Americans are suffering. We need help learning how to reconnect with each other. Dr Ruth’s wisdom comes at just the right time.’

Sunny Hostin

‘Dr Ruth has done it again! If only I could give this book to my lonely twenty-something self.’

Judy Blume

Nate Berkus

‘Dr Ruth’s brilliance and insight into human behaviour will continue to enlighten and support all those whose loneliness and isolation have been crippling.’

Vera Wang

Dr Julianne Holt-Lunstad, director of the Social Connection & Health Lab and lead scientific editor for the US Surgeon General’s Advisory on loneliness and isolation

Adele Parks, Platinum Magazine

Praise for Stay or Go: Dr Ruth’s rules for real relationships:

‘Ever practical, Dr Ruth wants to help you figure out whether you have enough of the whole package — love, lust, trust — to make the union worth saving.’

AARP Magazine

Praise for Stay or Go: Dr Ruth’s rules for real relationships:

‘A clearly written, succinct resource for those waffling with the decision to stay or move on from a long-term relationship.’

Library Journal

Praise for The Doctor Is In: Dr Ruth on love, life, and joie de vivre:

Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Doctor Is In: Dr Ruth on love, life, and joie de vivre:

Publishers Weekly

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Details

Format:Hardback

Size: 198mm × 129mm

Extent:176pp

ISBN (13):9781761381317

RRP:$29.99

Pub date:7 Jan 2025

Rights Held: UK & Commonwealth (ex. Can)

High-res cover:Download Image

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Ruth K. Westheimer

Dr Ruth K Westheimer broke stigmas for more than forty years, beginning in the 1980s with her nationally syndicated US radio show Sexually Speaking. She authoured or co-authoured forty-six books on many topics, and was named New York’s Ambassador to Loneliness, the first such position in the United States. A beloved therapist known to millions as ‘Dr Ruth’, she died in July 2024.

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