Is Loneliness a Health Epidemic? • Hacker News Board

Re: Is Loneliness a Health Epidemic?

#11

Post by kakarot » Mon, Mar 05, 2018, 4:13 PM UTC

Aaargh20318 wrote: post #7

If anything the opposite is true: severe lack of alone-time. I'm surrounded by humans all the time, even in your time alone you can't get away from people due to IM, social media, etc. I try to minimise the amount of social activity as much as possible, but I'm still getting overloaded and am slowly going crazy.

That's just your personal experience and not an objective one. I'm lonely for severe lack of being around humans all the time, and when I am around humans they're often distracted by some form of entertainment.

There's nothing that indicates either of our experiences can be generalized.

Re: Is Loneliness a Health Epidemic?

#12

Post by truculation » Mon, Mar 05, 2018, 4:13 PM UTC

I'm conflicted about socialising. It seems at best shallow and trivial. At worst downright exploitative. It seems like a politician's game, or a gangster's.

Yet occasionally I enjoy the warmth of catching up with an old friend.

'The ape-descendant will greet [me] in return, but in deference to a million years of evolution, he will not attempt to pick fleas off [me]; Earthmen are not proud of their ancestors and never invite them round to dinner.' (Douglas Adams)

Re: Is Loneliness a Health Epidemic?

#13

Post by Jemmeh » Mon, Mar 05, 2018, 4:14 PM UTC

Aaargh20318 wrote: post #7

If anything the opposite is true: severe lack of alone-time. I'm surrounded by humans all the time, even in your time alone you can't get away from people due to IM, social media, etc. I try to minimise the amount of social activity as much as possible, but I'm still getting overloaded and am slowly going crazy.

You could try using a productivity app like StayFocusd[1] to set it up so you can only access the website once or twice a day. If it's truly an emergency people will call you.

You can also try logging out of Facebook/Email and only checking it once a day. Or just plain making time to turn off your phone for a few hours on the weekend.

[1] https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/stayfocusd/laankej...

Re: Is Loneliness a Health Epidemic?

#14

Post by yohann305 » Mon, Mar 05, 2018, 4:14 PM UTC

machinecontrol wrote: post #3

Sometimes I feel like social media actually makes us more lonely and disconnected from others.

This phenomenom has a name: it's called: The "social network paradox". (social networks are anti-social)

TC wrote a whole article about it: https://techcrunch.com/2011/08/28/the-social-network-paradox...

Re: Is Loneliness a Health Epidemic?

#15

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Mar 05, 2018, 4:15 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Is Loneliness a Health Epidemic?

#16

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Mar 05, 2018, 4:18 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Is Loneliness a Health Epidemic?

#17

Post by billysielu » Mon, Mar 05, 2018, 4:19 PM UTC

If I wanted to be social I wouldn't even know where to start. There's nowhere to go to hang out and meet people. Folks work and then go home and stay in their houses (UK commuter town). The previous generation might have gone to the pub (bar) but those have been turned into restaurants so even that doesn't work anymore.

I even start thinking about going online as the best available option to be RL social. horror

I think if we want people to be more social we need to create RL places for them to go. Where everyone knows the score - you go to this place, hang out, chat to each other, play a game, have a drink, have food, etc.

Re: Is Loneliness a Health Epidemic?

#18

Post by adamnemecek » Mon, Mar 05, 2018, 4:20 PM UTC

Aaargh20318 wrote: post #7

If anything the opposite is true: severe lack of alone-time. I'm surrounded by humans all the time, even in your time alone you can't get away from people due to IM, social media, etc. I try to minimise the amount of social activity as much as possible, but I'm still getting overloaded and am slowly going crazy.

You can be lonely while being surrounded by people. It's that feeling of alienation that you feel when dealing with people who idk, you are forced to deal with but have nothing in common with. It's all the background noise of living in a large city.

Re: Is Loneliness a Health Epidemic?

#19

Post by dfdsdfsdfsdf » Mon, Mar 05, 2018, 4:23 PM UTC

billysielu wrote: post #17

If I wanted to be social I wouldn't even know where to start. There's nowhere to go to hang out and meet people. Folks work and then go home and stay in their houses (UK commuter town). The previous generation might have gone to the pub (bar) but those have been turned into restaurants so even that doesn't work anymore. I even start thinking about going online as the best available option to be RL social. horror I th…

Maybe move somewhere else than a UK commuter town?

Re: Is Loneliness a Health Epidemic?

#20

Post by humanrebar » Mon, Mar 05, 2018, 4:24 PM UTC

billysielu wrote: post #17

If I wanted to be social I wouldn't even know where to start. There's nowhere to go to hang out and meet people. Folks work and then go home and stay in their houses (UK commuter town). The previous generation might have gone to the pub (bar) but those have been turned into restaurants so even that doesn't work anymore. I even start thinking about going online as the best available option to be RL social. horror I th…

The previous generation also went to church. A sizable minority of the current generations still do, though it seems to be impolite to discuss or recommend.