Why are we so lonely?

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

This is the point.

The cultural crisis of loneliness is more acute than ever,

partly due to factors such as technology and COVID-related protocols.

And one researcher has now identified another factor that can't be overlooked.

Isolation by choice.

Time spent talking with other people, says Dr. Jeffrey Hall, has declined steadily for nearly 30 years.

What's behind the trend?

Quote, self-care regimes focus on cultivation of a mindful, inwardly focused life. There are increasing

efforts to cut out other people in the name of removing toxicity. All these tendencies

are pushed forward by frictionless technologies that

remove our social obligations to leap home, talk to others, and engage in community.

Well, in response, Paul suggests that we develop a social regimen that trains our atrophied muscles,

even if there's some short-term discomfort, and even if it means encountering people with

disagreeable

or uninteresting opinions.

None of this sounds complicated, but it's not easy in a culture that rewards all of the

opposite.

There's just no substitute for real relationships with real people.

I'm John Stone Street.