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According to the Economic Policy Institute, in the U.S., the top 1% earners, on average, make between $1.3 and $1.4 million per year, which is about 26 times the average income of the bottom 99%. As such, this dismal disparity results in both sides leading completely different lives. To build a bridge between the two, Matter Neuroscience installed a pay phone connecting the poorest neighborhood in Los Angeles to the city’s wealthiest neighborhood, allowing people who rarely cross paths to engage with one another.
“Research shows that the core molecules associated with happiness are the same in all human brains, regardless of economic status,” writes Matter Neuroscience, described as the world’s first emotional fitness club. “This project’s goal is to highlight that while also allowing two groups of people who often experience loneliness to converse.”
The phone, labeled “Call the 1%” was installed at the Martin Luther King Junior Shopping Center on Compton Avenue in Watts, the LA neighborhood with the highest poverty rate. Meanwhile, the opposite, “Call the 99%” phone, was set up on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, a shopping and dining strip in the beachside neighborhood of Venice. According to the team, the selected location is nestled between a furniture store that sells $2,200 chairs and $800 sweatpants.
As a recorded line, Matter Neuroscience will be sharing some of the conversations on Instagram. The first interaction shows a somewhat awkward but honest exchange between a man and a woman about their weekends. Even though the conversation may lack Love Island-levels of drama, the team hopes people see the bright side to each interaction.
“This project is about connection. No matter our income, background, race, or lifestyle, we all appreciate good tacos and a full moon,” Matter Neuroscience says. “Positive conversations like this can also make us happier and increase our longevity by lowering cortisol levels and increasing feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine, cannabinoids, and oxytocin.”
To stay up to date with this project, follow Matter Neuroscience on Instagram.
Matter Neuroscience installed a pay phone connecting the poorest neighborhood in Los Angeles to the city’s wealthiest neighborhood, allowing people who rarely cross paths to engage with one another.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
Matter Neuroscience: Instagram
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