Why loneliness should be treated as a social issue

Everyone who has experienced loneliness knows how deep it is personal. We feel lonely when our social and emotional needs are not met. For this reason, psychological studies often focus on solutions on the individual level, encouraging people to change their perception or behavior through therapy. But this goal does not have the heart of the problem: no significant relationship with others.

It is equal to worrying about high rates of loneliness among newborn people, especially taking into account the negative impact of forceful loneliness on physical and mental health. Some to argue This technology is guilty and indicates an increased time spent on phones or social media.

One sec studies Show that higher employ of the Internet is associated with greater loneliness, the direction of this relationship remains unclear. Are newborn people lonely because they are online or online because they feel lonely?

The Internet is not without social interaction. In fact, Research suggests this Online activities of newborn people often reflect their offline behavior, especially when it comes to searching for a connection and Communicating with friends. This complicates the idea that the technology itself is guilty.

Instead of focusing all the responsibility of a person suffering from loneliness, we must look at social solutions. This does not mean that psychological interventions have no value. Therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or training of social skills effective for someEspecially in cases of forceful loneliness.

But these approaches are not widely effective. They are costly, require trained specialists, and all the resulting improvements are often low -lived.

However, social solutions provide a broader and more balanced influence. This can be thought in two main ways: creating space for a significant social connection and solving the main social conditions that lead to loneliness.

While loneliness is a subjective experience, the social relationship is more physical. Find it if we have people we can rely on, whether we feel supported and the quality of our relationships. In this sense, a social connection can be antidote for loneliness.

When public spaces are shrinking, loneliness increases

But the chances of combining are shrinking. In Great Britain, hundreds of millions of pounds were cut out of youth services, and half of all closed youth clubs In the years 2011–2021. At the same time Global cost of life He left many newborn people-many people at work full-time with small or no money At the end of the month.

Meanwhile, “third spaces” – places outside the home, school or work in which people can connect – disappear. Cafe and bars are often too costly, while public libraries and social spaces are underfunded and quickly closing. In this context, it is not a surprise that newborn people spend more time on internet contacts: there are simply less affordable and available places for personal connection.

The social approach also means recognition of unevenness that shape the way of experience loneliness. We are not only people making isolated choices: we are part of the community and systems. And for many structural problems, such as marginalization and discrimination, they play a role in their experience of loneliness.

Youthful people from marginalized environments, including Families with lower income And these Identification as LGBTQ+There are a much higher risk of loneliness. Researchers are arguing This exclusion and discrimination – not individual deficits – contribute to this.

Therefore, some call us to understand Causes of loneliness at every levelfrom personal features to social attitudes to the design of districts and community.

If we want to reduce loneliness in newborn people, we must go beyond informing them to look for therapy or less phones. We need public investments in spaces that support the connection, and we need to solve wider structural problems that make some newborn people particularly exposed. Focusing only on a lonely unit is not enough, especially for people with the deepest barriers to belonging.