Women have had their heads shrunk by their hairdressers for decades, and I am not referring to their haircuts. The best beauticians — including the male ones — have always been one part agony aunt for every part hair stylist.
So I guess it was always only a matter of time until the sharing economy broke into the emotional sharing market, too, and offered some lay therapy. If nail artists and waxing technicians can be in-loco psychiatrist, why not Uber drivers? They all have captive clients who have nothing to do but scroll through their emails until they are released from their respective footbath or car seat. Submitting to a psychological tune-up during the daily commute is a better form of multitasking than many of us manage.
Sunny Wang works as a social worker in Shanghai, so she already spends office hours solving people’s problems. But she also runs what amounts to a mobile therapy unit in the back of her modest Buick Excelle.