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Study: Loneliness, Social Isolation Greater Health Problem in US Than Obesity

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Re: Study: Loneliness, Social Isolation Greater Health Problem in US Than Obesity

#41

Post by trophycase »

vinceguidry wrote: post #3

Loneliness is a psychological problem masquerading as a social one. Look, there are people all around us. Neighborhood streets have, what, 50 people on them? People congregate at churches, bars, coffee shops, even Wal-Marts. Loneliness is a self-inflicted problem. I'm not saying that to belittle it, I'm saying it because the reasons most people give for being lonely have nothing to do with the actual reasons. Real, a…

A lot, if not most, of people's brains are not wired to meet nor interact with as many strangers as we currently do on a daily basis. Getting to know new people and forming real connections can be exhausting.

Re: Study: Loneliness, Social Isolation Greater Health Problem in US Than Obesity

#43

Post by Neliquat »

jesseendahl wrote: post #31
goshx wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Even if it’s just at the grocery store. Even if it’s just with the homeless guy down the road. I think you are missing the point. Loneliness is not solved by simply being around people. I’ve been living in the US for 5 years now and the amount of people I can call friends here is very small, despite all the attempts at grocery stores, bars, meetups and even homeless folks. Society doesn’t seem to be open to take in…

@icantdrive55 - Many of your comments (including the one on this thread) are "dead" (hidden) for some reason. I'm not sure why that's the case, and since I didn't see anything wrong with your comments, I figured you should know.

Thanks, mine seem to come and go. Not sure why.

Re: Study: Loneliness, Social Isolation Greater Health Problem in US Than Obesity

#45

Post by Nevaeh »

Perhaps digital interaction can help alleviate the negative symptoms of loneliness and social isolation. One can join any community which shares their interests and interact in real-time.

https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/IRL https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Creative

However, I am unsure if virtualization of social interaction is beneficial in the long run.

Re: Study: Loneliness, Social Isolation Greater Health Problem in US Than Obesity

#46

Post by ar-nelson »

dragonsky67 wrote: post #37
tapp wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It was just as hard 30 years ago as it is now. As it was 300 years ago. 3000 even. I understand what you're saying, but I also think it's important to acknowledge that dynamics have changed - and we don't need to go back 30 years to see it. As recently as 5 or 6 years ago, I would quite often strike up conversations with strangers at the bus stop or on the train or at the post office. Usually these conversations wo…

I'm not sure that your observation of peoples behaviour is accurate. Just a bit of background. I'm an introvert, I'm happy in my own space. Too much noise or too many people make me very uncomfortable. Birthdays, for example would have to be up there as one of the worst events of the year only topped by Christmas Parties. So you see, I'm not one for talking to random strangers. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually a fair…

That doesn't seem typical to me... I've used public transit for years, in both the Seattle area and Massachusetts, and it's rare for anyone to strike up a spontaneous conversation, with me or anyone else. Whenever someone did, they usually seemed a little... odd. Maybe one time out of five it would be an interesting conversation, and that only happened every few months of riding the bus every weekday.

The main thing I learned from this is, if I started conversations with random people on the bus, I'd be that odd person who makes people uncomfortable. I wish it didn't work that way.

Re: Study: Loneliness, Social Isolation Greater Health Problem in US Than Obesity

#47

Post by ar-nelson »

sjg007 wrote: post #24
chank wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's just like saying the problem isn't me, it's you. Society plays a huge role in people feeling lonely. I'm not saying it's the job of society to make someone feel accepted and have authentic connections, but the way we are currently in todays society makes it extremely difficult you'll have an authentic connection with anyone or even be that authentic connection for someone else.

Society says you need to pay money to not be lonely. It also says that anyone that wants to have a conversation with you in a coffee shop is crazy.

How, exactly, can you pay money to not be lonely? If it were that simple, this would be much less of a problem.

Re: Study: Loneliness, Social Isolation Greater Health Problem in US Than Obesity

#48

Post by seasonalgrit »

dionidium wrote: post #8
daodedickinson wrote: post #2

And the causality can be linked to websites like Facebook as easily as cancer to cigarettes.

I'd say it's more like the link between secondhand smoke and cancer, which is to say widely believed and seriously overstated. This stuff was trending upward far before social media. See e.g. Putnam in Bowling Alone for a far more convincing explanation. Facebook is the snake oil you're being sold as the cure for something that was already on its way up.

You're misinformed when it comes to secondhand smoke. From the NIH:

"The U.S. Surgeon General estimates that living with a smoker increases a nonsmoker’s chances of developing lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent."

"There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke."

-- https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/t...

Re: Study: Loneliness, Social Isolation Greater Health Problem in US Than Obesity

#50

Post by mncharity »

dragonsky67 wrote: post #37
tapp wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It was just as hard 30 years ago as it is now. As it was 300 years ago. 3000 even. I understand what you're saying, but I also think it's important to acknowledge that dynamics have changed - and we don't need to go back 30 years to see it. As recently as 5 or 6 years ago, I would quite often strike up conversations with strangers at the bus stop or on the train or at the post office. Usually these conversations wo…

I'm not sure that your observation of peoples behaviour is accurate. Just a bit of background. I'm an introvert, I'm happy in my own space. Too much noise or too many people make me very uncomfortable. Birthdays, for example would have to be up there as one of the worst events of the year only topped by Christmas Parties. So you see, I'm not one for talking to random strangers. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually a fair…

> I travel to work via bus and it is a rare day when I don't get approached by somebody at the bus stop or on the bus who is looking to chat.

Local cultures can vary a lot. In NYC, riding the bus, I more often end up in a conversation than not. In Boston, that is just not done. Except with tourists sometimes. I used to travel more, and it became a standing joke... At someplace not Boston, chatting. While traveling, chatting. Hit the subway by Boston Logan airport, chatting... sort of... with people awkwardly uncomfortable... facepalm, back in Boston, burned again.

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