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Making new friends costs money, but it’s worth it
It might seem easier and cheaper to stay home watching Netflix, but you need to get out more to feel less lonely.
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Meet up in person every once in a while, even if it means opening your wallet, to combat the toll of isolation and loneliness.
PHOTO: AFP
Erin Lowry
Loneliness and social isolation are often discussed as afflictions of the ageing process. Adult children move away, spouses and friends begin to die, and suddenly older people can find themselves spending an inordinate amount of time alone. The sense of isolation can have severe consequences for well-being. Studies have found that social isolation increases the odds of developing hypertension and dementia, and even shortens lifespans.
Except, it isn’t only the ageing population that is at high risk for loneliness. American youth aged 15 to 24 spend 70 per cent less time in person with friends than the same age group did 20 years ago, according to an alarming finding from a 2024 report by US Surgeon-General Vivek Murthy warning of the growing toll of loneliness in America.
