Loneliness: The silent killer, and how to beat it | Richard Reeves & more

()

Loneliness

Loneliness is a common emotion that can negatively impact health and well-being.
Loneliness has been on the rise since the 1950s, affecting 30-60% of people across all demographics.
Factors contributing to loneliness include increased mobility, decline in community involvement, and the digital revolution.
Loneliness has adverse effects on health, comparable to smoking half a pack of cigarettes a day, and can lead to rapid brain decline in older adults.
Investing in relationships and social connections, even casual encounters, can help combat loneliness.
Lonely individuals may need to learn social skills and revise negative assumptions about being unwanted.

There is a decline in close friendships, with fewer people having a confidant or someone to turn to in times of crisis.
Friendship is seen as a genuine and radical equality relationship, without dependency or transactional elements.
Factors hindering friendship formation include geographical mobility, increased parenting time, work emphasis, and relationship breakdowns.
Lack of friends can limit access to opportunities and have negative impacts on mental and physical health.
The number of young men without close friends has increased fivefold since the 1990s.
The pandemic has disproportionately affected women's friendships, as they tend to be more based on physical relationships.
Friendship is essential for human flourishing, but it requires effort and vulnerability to cultivate.
Admitting the desire for friendship and being open to it is a crucial step in making friends.