Is that "epidemic" really a thing? Has it been statically and scientifically observed?
Ask HN: How can we solve the loneliness epidemic?
721–730 of 1001 posts
Re: Ask HN: How can we solve the loneliness epidemic?
#722I don't think there's a single fix, but small design changes matter: more third places that don't revolve around consumption, work schedules that allow for regular community life, activities where showing up quietly is acceptable. Loneliness isn't just about lack of friends, it's about lack of belonging
Re: Ask HN: How can we solve the loneliness epidemic?
#723You have to be the one who creates things to do. Really, that’s it. You want to play D&D together, you host and DM. You want to just hang out, you reach out and propose what you’re doing. You want more purposeful and meaningful time, join a volunteer group you vibe with. Even if it’s meeting for coffee. You have to be the one who reaches out. You have to do it on a regular cadence. If, like me, you don’t have little…
"Be the organizer" assumes a certain baseline of energy, confidence, and emotional resilience. For people who are already lonely, depressed, neurodivergent, burned out, or socially anxious, that constant reaching out + rejection tax can be genuinely exhausting, not just uncomfortable
Re: Ask HN: How can we solve the loneliness epidemic?
#724I usually do night walks, talking to strangers, outcasts such as homeless people, street children, store or restaurant sales persons. I treat them food and talk with them and learn from their stories, I do this consistently that they know me. I genuinely love helping people, I also do ministries which I can say is very effective on helping people with depressions, they will learn to have a purpose in life or at least…
I do think it's worth separating two things, though. Helping others and building community can be deeply meaningful, but not everyone who's lonely has the capacity
Re: Ask HN: How can we solve the loneliness epidemic?
#725Keep in mind that the answer to this question is likely multifaceted. That is, there isn't going to be one killer policy or app or attitude or event which will solve this problem, but it would require a multi-pronged approach.
Re: Ask HN: How can we solve the loneliness epidemic?
#726You can organize things. It's surprisingly easy. You just put up a FB event. When I was younger and moved to a new (foreign) city, The first thing I did was to create a "picnic" for people coming from my country. No agenda, no nothing, let's just hang out and have some wine, cheese and chat while sitting on the grass. You'd be surprised how successful this was, and some of them keep running regularly without me for o…
Funny because here's my solution: Step 1: Delete FB account.
Re: Ask HN: How can we solve the loneliness epidemic?
#727Earlier quoted context omitted.
Whatever else you think of Bluesky, it's a place where trolling and doomerism are rejected. The nuclear block (and a culture of block, don't engage) does wonders for denying actual trolls an audience, and secondarily for permitting people to do the virtual equivalent of walking away from someone who's behaving badly. In particular, doomerism about Trump is minimized there the same way.
There's a fine line between "rejecting doomerism" and "putting your fingers in your ears and going 'lalala'" though, and it's important not to cross it. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if we're just shooting the messenger in placing the blame on social media.
Bluesky is full of people angry and screaming about Trump. In my feed, at least, though, the "it's all fascism, we're doomed" posters are getting blocked. It's an angry call to action that survives. They're consciously recognizing the pessimism is counterproductive and blocking.
Re: Ask HN: How can we solve the loneliness epidemic?
#728I built an art practice after volunteering on Burning Man projects for a few years. I’m now a competent art fabricator and engineer in carpentry, lighting, electronics, and power systems. It’s fun, and it keeps me connected to lots of different communities. You meet a lot of people who like to get together and nerd out, host parties, and make cool things. When people talk about the loneliness epidemic, I realize how…
Where "get a hobby" often falls flat is that many modern hobbies are solo, screen-based, or optimized to be efficient rather than social
Re: Ask HN: How can we solve the loneliness epidemic?
#729I don't have a full answer, but a couple thoughts: 1. Volunteer. Somewhere, anywhere, for a good cause, for a selfish cause. Somebody will be happy to see you. 2. Stop trolling ourselves. As far as I can tell, all of the mass social media is trending sharply towards being a 100% troll mill. The things people say on social media do not reflect genuine beliefs of any significant percentage of the population, but if we…
And volunteering works not just because it's "good", but because it gives you a role where your presence matters immediately
Re: Ask HN: How can we solve the loneliness epidemic?
#730Build human scale cities with narrow streets and lots of outdoor parks and easily accessible reliable and frequent public transportation.
Not our American excuse for cities ruled by automobiles and asphalt everywhere with very limited options of all of the above.
PS - I imagine I’ll be downvoted because the epidemic is world wide and not unique to the US. That said, our acute situation is unique in that our infrastructure literally steers you into loneliness and no chance of randomly bumping into people and striking conversation.