When Surgeon General Vivek Murthy took a cross-country academic tour last fall, he began hearing the same kinds of questions over and over again: How are we supposed to communicate with each other when no one speaks anymore?
At a time when participation in community organizations, clubs And religious groups has decreased and more social interactions occur online rather than in person, some young people report levels of loneliness which, in recent decades, were generally associated with older people.
This is one of the many reasons why loneliness has become a problem at the beginning and end of our lives. In a study published last Tuesday in the journal Psychological Science, researchers found that loneliness follows a U-shaped curve: starting in young adulthood, self-reported loneliness tends to decrease as people approach midlife, and then increase again after age 60, becoming particularly pronounced by around age 80.
Although everyone can experience loneliness, including middle-aged adultsMature people may feel more socially connected than other age groups because they often interact with co-workers, a spouse, children, and other members of their community – and these relationships may seem stable and satisfying, said Eileen K. Graham, Partner. professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and lead author of the study.
As people age, these opportunities can “start to disappear,” she said. In the study, which examined waves of data spanning several decades, starting as early as the 1980s and ending through 2018, participants at both ends of the age range were more likely to be d agree with statements such as: “I miss having people around me. me” or “My social relationships are superficial”.
“We have social muscles just like we have physical muscles,” Dr. Murthy said. “And these social muscles weaken when we don’t use them.”
When loneliness goes unchecked, it can be dangerous to our physical and mental health and is associated with problems such as heart disease, dementia and suicidal ideation.
Dr. Graham and other social connection experts said there are small steps we can take at any age to cultivate a sense of belonging and social connection.
Do a relationship audit.
“Don’t wait until you’re old to find out you don’t have a good quality social network,” said Louise Hawkley, a research scientist who studies loneliness at NORC, a social research organization at the University of Chicago.. “The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to make new connections.”
Studies suggest that most people benefit from a minimum of four to six close relationships, said Julianne Holt-Lunstad, professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of the Social Connection and Health Lab at Brigham Young University.
But it’s not just quantity that matters, she added, there’s also variety and quality.
“Different relationships can fulfill different types…
