All posts tagged: Lonelier

Boomers Are Lonelier Than Ever For 10 Reasons That Have Nothing To Do With Their Kids Being Too Busy For Them

Boomers Are Lonelier Than Ever For 10 Reasons That Have Nothing To Do With Their Kids Being Too Busy For Them

Published by Jenni Sidey

Loneliness is a somewhat inevitability of aging for many people, especially for boomer parents coping with their adult kids growing up and leaving the house. However, boomers are lonelier than ever for reasons that have nothing to do with their kids being too busy for them or starting their own lives. In some cases, other reasons affect their ability to find community, connect with new people, and get out of their comfort zone. Unfortunately, they’re often in a cycle, promoting more isolation and loneliness as they try to cope. Boomers are lonelier than ever for 10 reasons that have nothing to do with their kids being too busy for them 1. They were taught to not need anyone Chay_Tee | Shutterstock Many baby boomers were conditioned into believing that strength came from hyper-independence and self-reliance. They don’t want to “need” anyone to feel secure, because in their collective minds, it’s a weakness. For men, it’s often a conversation of vulnerability, and for women, one of obligation and responsibility. They have to hold it all together …

Does deleting social media make you happier or lonelier? Short answer: It depends.

Does deleting social media make you happier or lonelier? Short answer: It depends.

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Logging on was once a conscious—even perilous—act; a series of button pushes and clicks that, in the old dial-up days, could trigger a scream: “I’M ON THE PHONE.” Now, being online is implicit; it’s humanity’s M.O., and depending on your job and support networks, participation can feel compulsory. For young people in particular, constant connection is pretty much a fact of life, something baked into existence, and yet it’s totally at odds with the rising discourse around the benefits of logging off and being “chronically offline.” The concept of logging off is everywhere: It’s a Gen Z and Millennial aspiration to disconnect from hostile tech, linkable to the ceaselessness of ’90s nostalgia and revived interest in physical media. It’s a response to the increasingly antisocial era of the Internet, algorithmic burnout, and doomscrolling hangovers. And given the obligatory nature of screens in our daily lives, it also sounds kind of punk to chuck your phone into a ravine, right? …

People With Poor Mental Health Are Five Times Lonelier

People With Poor Mental Health Are Five Times Lonelier

Published by Sam Flores

According to the World Health Organisation, about 16% of people worldwide are facing social isolation and loneliness. In 2024, 22% of UK adults said they felt lonely at least some of the time. But that loneliness is not shared equally. Younger generations seem to be lonelier than older ones, while almost half of people in poverty say they feel lonely compared to 15% of high earners. And new data from the Belonging Forum’s 2026 Belonging Barometer has found that “people reporting poor mental health are five times more likely to feel lonely” than those with good mental health. What did the research find? The survey, conducted with Opinium, involved 10,000 UK adults. It’s part of the Belonging Barometer, which the Belonging Forum says is designed to look at “how connected people feel to others, their communities, and their sense of purpose”. Roughly one in five people with poor mental (21%) or physical health (20%) say they have no close friends, Only 27% of those with poor mental health say the things they do in life …

If The World Feels A Lot Lonelier Lately, You’re Not Imagining It — These 3 Reasons Are Why

If The World Feels A Lot Lonelier Lately, You’re Not Imagining It — These 3 Reasons Are Why

Published by Jenni Sidey

If the world feels a lot lonelier, it’s not in your head. The research proves it: We’re getting lonelier. The American Perspectives Survey found that the number of Americans with no close friends has quadrupled since 1990. Almost half of Americans reported having three or fewer friends.  Add to this, the average number of people Americans feel they can talk to about important matters has also fallen. Americans are feeling lonelier than ever, and three compounding reasons are usually behind the feelings of isolation.  If the world feels a lot lonelier lately, these 3 reasons are why: 1. Loneliness is contagious eldar nurkovic via Shutterstock A 2009 study out of Framingham, Massachusetts, using data collected from roughly 5,000 people and their offspring found that participants are 52 percent more likely to be lonely if someone they’re directly connected to (such as a friend, neighbor, co-worker, or family member) is lonely. People who aren’t lonely tend to then become lonelier if they’re around people who are. Why? Lonely people are less able to pick up on …