America has a new epidemic. It can’t be treated using traditional therapies even though it has debilitating and even deadly consequences.
The problem seeping in at the corners of our communities is loneliness and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is hoping to generate awareness and offer remedies before it claims more lives.
“Most of us probably think of loneliness as just a bad feeling,” he told USA TODAY. “It turns out that loneliness has far greater implications for our health when we struggle with a sense of social disconnection, being lonely or isolated.”
Loneliness is detrimental to mental and physical health, experts say, leading to an increased risk of heart disease, dementia, stroke and premature death. As researchers track record levels of self-reported loneliness, public health leaders are banding together to develop a public health framework to address the epidemic.
American corporations: “how can we monetize this”.
It costs too much to be out and be social. There is no place for people to congregate that doesn’t require you to spend money. Even churches have $ expectations. In most places the local public library is the last free third space. I know everyone seems to love remote work, but for me remote work forced the place of my biggest stress to be in my house and I hate it. I’ve been mostly remote for the last 13 years and I’ve realized that I need an onsite work place so I can maintain my home as my place of relaxation and escape.
I …
I would say in chronological order, social media, violently divisive politics, and the forced isolation of COVID rendered me incapable of socializing anymore.
All of it has made me feel like I cannot function in the presence of others. I still have to go to the office to work, so that’s pretty much the extent of interaction I get. Otherwise, outside of work, I tend to not speak at all to anybody.
I won’t call it a happy life, but it’s safe. I guess I’ve got whatever a word for social agoraphobia would be now.
I should note that I’m fifty one years old. The first four decades of my life were very social. Then it all gradually faded away.
It’s like being bullied or grounded for some behavior crime over and over again. After a while a person stops caring about the things that got taken away and goes into suspension about liking anything because that too gets used as a weapon.
My MiL was just asking me about the places i hung out as a teen (40yo here) because in HER day they had teen social clubs and all. I looked at her as if she had a third eye lol. I think it was the local mall, or CCG/TTRPG shop for me in my town. In the area I’m at now they’ve practically banned teens from the mall after a certain time. I have no idea where my kiddos will be able to go when they’re older. Hopefully my red state doesn’t obliterate libraries at least, though I’m in a blue spot.
The solution is simple, just buy more consumer goods!
Has the fed considered increasing federal wage to keep up with cost of living from the past 50 years? Maybe increasing taxes on ultra wealthy or even a wealth tax to pay for third places that use to exist?
I know what you’re thinking: but how will they afford their seventh yacht for their fourth vacation home?
What exactly does this have to do with the article?
Without free or adorable third spaces, the population has no place to meet not interact with new people to make friends as adults. Unless you already know someone and general only meet at each other’s places, meeting others and having friends is fiscally out of reach.
Alienation through the capitalization of the cognition. This coupled to the myth that the individual is responsible paved a way to isolation and loneliness.
It’s the Capitalism
Sad that I had to scroll to find the real answer. The problem is it’s too abstract for most to understand. Easier to blame technology.
I can recommend the read of The Soul at Work: From Alienation to Autonomy by Franco Berardi.
I prefer to be lonely.
Alone != Lonely.
I prefer being alone but being lonely and not having the choice is really bad.Being crowded and not having a choice is worse.
I personnaly disagree, getting out is easier than making connections for me.
But of course being stuck with people you don’t like, or a family you hate sucks too
You guys wanna start a fight club?
That’s why I’m glad I have friends I talk to every day, even if just online, and online communities I participate in, like through Lemmy or through Discord. It does help to stay connected to others.
You do get quality experiences from that? I feel most online communication platforms nowadays are basically “post and don’t look back” or “comment once and bye”. Before we had more dominantly forums where topics were discussed over a long period and even between the same people, and you’d easily recognize and connect with people. Lemmy (and reddit) also falls in the first category: you hardly make any connections and topics get abandoned after they disappeared from the front page.
that’s what discord is nice for. I’ve got a group that talks in voice almost every day. we just hang out after work, play a game or two, talk about life. the classic stuff.
I’ve had some in-depth conversations through Lemmy and Discord, and even group voice chat gaming with friends through Discord. I can get meaningful communication experiences through these platforms IMO, yeah.
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I’m not dead yet
