The Wisdom of the Potluck: The Importance of Casual Gathering
Is the potluck the antidote to the Chaos Era?
Over the past few months, many of my conversations have kept returning nostalgically to the idea of gathering.
Perhaps it is the loooooooong slow transition from a Midwest winter to spring. Perhaps it is the increasingly undeniable realization that we are fully in the Chaos Era, and it is not slowing down anytime soon. Perhaps it is the post-COVID remote/hybrid work reckoning, as the shiny patina of flexibility dulls to reveal a slow descent into increased isolation.
As the old, gross, and cruel-to-animal metaphor goes, we are like frogs being slowly boiled. More stressed. Less social. And a lot lonely.
I was at a gathering at the beginning of 2025, and one of my friends, Danny the Wise, said with a joking seriousness, “I think that the answer is more potlucks.” And I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
The potluck.
Not takeout. Not a virtual happy hour. A real, honest-to-goodness potluck. An intentionally curated group. An invitation to collaboration. A smorgasbord! So fun to say, and even more fun to eat!
A gathering where everyone brings what they have, sets it on the table without fanfare, and discovers interesting combinations that they have never tried before.
The Cultural Cost of Hustle, Hyper-Individualism, & Staying Home All the Time
Burnout is For Real: Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace Report reported that nearly 44% of employees worldwide experience significant stress daily, up from pre-pandemic levels. The WHO has identified burnout as an occupational phenomenon, with chronic workplace stress now a global health issue.
It's Hard to Make Friends with Floating Heads: Many of us now work in isolation, connected by computer screens, and never running into one another on the way to the coffee maker. Zoom calls are efficient, but leave little room for the casual connections that lay the foundation for deeper work friendships.
The Tech-Enabled Homebody = Less Social Practice: Technological advances have made it easier than ever to navigate life from the comfort of your couch. Most of the errands that took us out into the world can now be accomplished via your smartphone. A recent study by Princeton sociologist Patrick Sharkey found that people are spending an average of 1.5 hours more time at home each day. We used to have a lot more opportunities to run into acquaintances and practice “mini-socialization” with strangers.
There is no shortage of data to illustrate these points, but pause for a moment and consider your own felt reality. We are doing more, but connecting less.
“The Answer is More Potlucks”
Enter the humble potluck, the epitome of casual gathering. No expectation of perfection or polish. Have a little time? Bring something interesting. Running over after work? Grab some hummus and crackers on your way.
At a potluck:
Somebody hosts, everyone contributes, but no one carries the whole load.
People go at their own pace. Grazing is not only permitted, it is encouraged.
What you bring doesn’t have to be impressive — just shared.
Unexpected flavor combinations await! Innovation in the wild!
Potlucking is an easy button to storytelling. And story is the pathway to connection. You sit. You eat. You tell stories about the food. You laugh. You listen. You nourish, both literally and figuratively.
This is more than nostalgia. It’s resistance. In a world driven by individualism, optimization, and speed, the potluck reminds us that slowness, sharing, and mutuality are nourishing and uniquely human experiences.
Recent studies support what we already know:
In-person connection increases trust and psychological safety.
Informal shared experiences lead to more easeful relationship-building and stronger group cohesion.
Breaking bread is an act of outreach, camaraderie, and community. In every culture, across every decade and throughout human history, sharing a meal is a ritual of belonging and community.
When we gather, particularly outside of productivity frameworks, we remember that we are not machines. We are humans — connected by natural rhythms, social animals by nature, and wired for connection.
Potluck-Thinking For Workplace Culture
No, this doesn’t mean you need to host a bunch of literal potlucks at work (although, you absolutely should try a couple). It means bringing the potluck ethos into your work and life.
Baby Steps to Psychological Safety: Smaller, informal gatherings create environments where people feel safe expressing their ideas and opinions in a low-risk setting.
The Power of the Work Friend: Regular micro-gatherings help build stronger interpersonal relationships among team members. Work friends don’t have to be best friends, but since we spend a lot of time at work, having people we genuinely enjoy improves the quality of that time. Employees who have good relationships with their work friends tend to have higher levels of engagement and lower levels of attrition.
Spontaneous Innovation: Just like you might try a food you’ve never had before at a potluck, casual, low-pressure micro-gatherings at work set the stage for spontaneous information sharing and innovation.
The point isn’t just the food (but food really does help). It’s about designing experiences that make space for connection, collaboration, and reciprocity.
A Gentle Nudge
If you have made it this far…….do it……<nudge nudge> Host a little potluck. Just one! It is spring. Give it a try. Friends on the back porch. A “favorite snack” smorgasbord at work. A “wine and nibbles” gathering with some people that you “see a lot, but never actually hang out with.”
Let us know how it goes.
XO,
Anna
