Brian Lerer on WNYC, and to end today's show, we're going to take your calls for our last 15 minutes or so

on a simple question, do you live near your friends, and does it matter?

212-433 WNYC.

And by live near your friends, I don't just mean in the same town or borough or county, but actually near. I'm talking about borrow a cup of flower near, or can you

come help fix my Wi-Fi near walking distance? Call in or text us at 212-433 WNYC 433-9-6-92. On the question, do you live near your

friends and does it matter? Why do we ask? Because there's been a lot of talk recently about

the loneliness epidemic, quote-unquote, among Americans, the U.S. Surgeon General.

You probably know issued a statement last year describing loneliness as an actual epidemic.

He came on the show that rivals smoking tobacco in terms of its impact on health.

That's a jarring comparison, right? And data is showing that

Americans spend less time with friends than at nearly any other point in history. Family too,

but we're talking for the moment about friends. There was a piece on Vox recently with the headline,

it shouldn't be so hard to live near your friends.

And it suggests that seeing friends on a very regular, impromptu basis, offers something of a cure

to this loneliness epidemic. And it's probably not surprising to hear the people who live near

their friends end up spending more time with them. Duh.

So listeners, let us know, do you live near your friends and does it matter? It's not

a main deciding factor, I think, in most people's decisions about where to live these days,

but what about for you? What about if you don't live near your friends and you used to?

Does it matter?

Let's take your calls on this.

There's more I could say, but because we went long with Will Leach, because we were having

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