A few years ago, while driving near her house, sophomore Misha Khairom discovered a lush valley, with a grassy knoll and trees that caught her eye. She began exploring the area, taking long walks and engaging in de-stressing activities — such as reading and walking. Eventually, this peaceful spot, which offered tranquility and a break from the pressures of high school life, transformed into her third place.
While most people spend their time divided between home — their first place — and the workplace or school — their second place — many have a “third place” in their life, a space pivotal in fostering mental growth and community. For students and staff at Saratoga High, these locations offer a chance to develop social and cognitive skills in a peaceful environment.
The term “third place” was coined by American sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his 1998 book “The Great Good Place” to highlight the importance of having a casual setting outside of home and work which encourages social interaction and civic engagement. According to University of Chicago researchers, the definition of a third place is a space where people can come to “converse with others and connect with their community.”
A 2021 study by the Survey Center on American Life reported that over 56% of Americans say they have a third place, ranging from coffee shops and parks to gyms and bars. Analysis by University of Colorado researchers has shown the substantial positive effects, finding that third places help forge connections, build confidence and foster serenity in one’s life.
Some research even suggests that third places have an impact on improved cognitive function. A 2008 study found that the time people spend in third places significantly impacts their mental stimulation and problem solving abilities. These spaces allow for diverse ideas to be shared and for people to consider different perspectives, which develops critical thinking skills.
Most importantly, third places have a profound impact on mental health. According to the University of Colorado study, when someone visits their third place, it can alleviate social isolation, reduce loneliness, raise self-esteem and create a sense of belonging through social interaction. Third places are also commonly accessible — parks, libraries or fields are all public areas in towns that people can usually visit free of charge. These benefits significantly aid in combating depression and anxiety, researchers say.
SHS students explore unique third spaces that cultivate distinct mindsets
For Khairom, having a place in nature as a refuge has been important.
“My life has been a little turbulent recently, and so going there to read and to do simple things like that is really soothing,” Khairom said.
Sophomore Anya Taneja’s third place is her grandmother’s house in downtown Saratoga, which she visits multiple times every week. She says going there deepens the connection between her and her grandmother.
After being born in Texas, Taneja wasn’t able to connect with her extended family as much as she wanted to. When she moved to Saratoga in 2018, she made sure to visit her grandparents almost every day. When her house was under renovation, she lived with her grandmother for a year, strengthening their bond. This tight connection made Taneja feel far closer to her family, providing a necessary distraction from school-related stress.
“Visiting my grandmother so often has really helped me to get to know her better,” Taneja said. “I also connect with more members of my extended family, such as my cousins.”
Sports as a key third place
Other students point to the role of sports in their lives. Sophomore Kyle Liu, an avid thrower on the track and field team, has found the discus ring on the upperfield to be his personal third place.
Liu goes to the ring every weekend and some weekdays — usually at night when the field is empty — to practice throwing. At times, Liu has spent time with other friends on the field, but more commonly, he finds the solitude in the calming dark and quiet atmosphere to be the most enjoyable.
“The ring is a place where I’m more independent and free in what I do, because I’m just by myself there, and I have the ability to do whatever I want,” Liu said.
Third places can also provide a peaceful retreat from schoolwork; others serve as spaces to accomplish said work.
Sophomore Alan Rong said he spent a lot of time at the Saratoga Library over the summer of 2024, a place where he found interactions to come second to studying. Rong strongly associates each establishment he spends significant time at with a specific activity or habit, so each location has an influence on his mindset and actions.
“At home, I have bad tendencies, like eating or watching YouTube,” Rong said. “But when I’m at the library, it’s like a brand new place where I haven’t done anything lazy. So when I go to the library, it’s associated with studying or productivity.”
For others, like math department head Kristen Hamilton, spending time in a third place is a necessity to deal with stress that comes from her personal life.
Hamilton goes to a yoga studio regularly and considers it to be her third space. As a teacher and parent, Hamilton has constantly found herself stressed in the past few years and couldn’t find respite in her daily life. But when her daughter took her to a yoga class for the first time, she discovered that it helped her destress after a long day.
“When I was younger, I was running four, five miles, and I would think about things. I can’t really run anymore, so yoga helps me clear my head,” Hamilton said.
For junior Jena Lew, her third space isn’t one location, but any place that fits her criteria of a quiet, working setting. Coffee or tea shops like TEAZENTEA, Sue’s Cafe, 7 Leaves Cafe and Starbucks are the most frequent areas she attends to study. Lew also feels that, when she’s surrounded by other people who are working hard, she’s inclined to do the same.
“Going to these places helps me a lot because they can stimulate test settings or situations that you are unfamiliar with, and you can learn to work your brain at these places,” Lew said.
Part of the reason Lew visits these locations so much is because of their relaxing environments. While Lew meets new people on her visits, she has become especially close with some of the staff at multiple cafes. These connections motivate her to go, as she enjoys talking with these employees. To Lew, these spaces have had a substantial impact on her enjoyment and focus while studying.
“I just love the freedom of being able to go anywhere I want to study and get work done,” Lew said, “I like to think of [finding new third places] as small adventures.”
For Daniel Yang, the manager of TEAZENTEA on Big Basin Way, running a business that serves as a third place is a meaningful responsibility. Having worked in the establishment since August, Yang has come to understand the importance that the business holds in Saratoga.
“The main [idea] was to bring an impact to a community. I realized when we were looking for a spot, there were no boba shops around in Saratoga,” Yang said. “We wanted to keep it a very chill spot, somewhere where people can just hang out all the time, do homework, study whenever they need,” Yang said. “[We are] always there for [students] whenever the store is open.”
To attract students to TEAZENTEA, Yang has his priorities set on providing a safe, friendly atmosphere for conversation and relaxation. Yang understands the importance of third places, which is why his intent is to create good drinks and give people a good time.
“Oftentimes at home, you hear a lot from your parents or whoever might live with you, and sometimes having that individual space away from work or home is actually really beneficial to the mind,” Yang said. “It just allows you to lock in and focus on whatever you need to do.”
The decline in use of third places correlates with a decline in mental health
According to VOX, the number of people with a third place dropped from 67% to 56% between 2019 and 2024. Vox says if this trend continues, it could lead to concerning consequences, such as reduced social interactions, decreased creativity and negative mental health implications.
A Survey Center on American Life report indicates that “living close to a variety of amenities, such as cafes and parks, increases neighborliness, feelings of safety, social trust and positive feelings about the community.”
But in 2020, the pandemic caused a decline in third places by halting interactions in public spaces. At the same time, it amplified platforms and social media that allowed people to mindlessly “doom-scroll” rather than interacting in meaningful ways with others.
This tendency is something Liu saw in himself. During the pandemic he felt little care for social interaction, saying: “Life was monotonous, leading me to spend more time online.” His participation in track and field helped reverse that bad habit.
According to the BBC, relationships and responsibilities used to be easily categorized: intimacy at home and professionalism at work. However, after the pandemic, the differences between the environments have been blurred.
In fact, Oldenburg was worried about this exact same issue when he coined the term “third places” more than a quarter century ago. Specifically, he felt that suburbs were growing further from many common third places such as post offices and coffeehouses, exacerbating isolation and discontentment.
Nowadays, the lack of physical areas that serve as venues for conversing isn’t as important. Social media has created a platform for instant communication, as well as a never ending stream of content that fills people’s desire to interact with others or relieve their stress.
However, researchers say social media cannot replace tangible human connections, as it often lacks deeper connection and emotional intimacy that comes with physical interaction. According to Dr. Narae Lee at the Population Research Institute of The Pennsylvania State University, the positive health effects from online communities have been shown to be nowhere near as impactful as physical places.
Although third places are declining in recent years, students who have them find they are sources of comfort, productivity, quiet reflection and community engagement.
“Whenever I go to these public places it’s really nice to just meet new people and work in different environments,” Lew said.
