With human interaction feeling like an increasingly precious commodity these days, three new books explore how listening and taking time to really hear others and ourselves can help us connect more meaningfully.

The Listening Path: The Creative Art of Attention by Julia Cameron (Souvenir Press, £16.99; Tablet price £15.29) is a six-week guide aimed at helping those with an artistic bent to learn more profound listening, which should then, Cameron argues, lead to greater creativity. Readers are instructed to write daily “morning pages” of their unfiltered thoughts and reward themselves with “artist dates”. They should walk and engage their spirituality through nature, and are encouraged to listen to those beyond the grave.