I’m in my 50s. I have no family, no close friends, no kids, and no love. If I were to disappear tomorrow only the bill collectors would notice.

This is literally my whole problem with life, I don't have the energy to socialize and I feel so done.

We are forced to spend the vast majority of our days working to support ourselves. How on earth do we have time or ENERGY to have social relationships?!

I swear i won’t be surprised if i die from loneliness

Staying with toxic violent family is more dangerous than being lonely

Our society is too "ruggedly individualistic". We need more fellowship and communitarianism.

A lot of cities being non-walkable is a contributor to increased loneliness, since distance and lack of social spaces makes it harder for people to socialize and gather.

I can’t believe this. “Are you anti-social” Someone with antisocial personality disorder or traits will typically be manipulative, deceitful and reckless, and will not care for other people's feelings. Being is more in line with introversion. Asking someone if they’re antisocial is completely different from asking them if they’re asocial.

I'm working at a University in a very informal, very casual work environment. We do a lot of stuff together, outside working hours... And yet, I still find it hard to make friends. I have NO IDEA how adults are supposed to make friends in every day life, if they have a more formal, less friendly work environment! Because outside the work environment... how are you supposed to meet people?

Be careful not to generalize your own experience. Solitude and loneliness are not the same thing. I shared a childhood home with eight siblings. For me, living alone as an adult is pure bliss.

It is quite hard for some people like me to live in a city alone ,no one you to talk to ,no one to share your life with ,life becomes a burden

I’m 28, and I am as lonely as you can get.

I guess my loneliness will go well with my smoking and drinking

You can’t effectively capitalize connection. Social media tries, but it offers a hollowed out version of human connection that only mimics the real thing

One reason for loneliness is that we work too much. 5 days of work and 2 days of rest? How are we supposed to have any time left for socializing? On top of that we have built cities that are all centered around work: all that exists are apartments and work places, and then the roads that connect the two. There arent enough places in our cities where we can actually meet people and do things together.

Online dating has proved to me that there are 2 types of humans: Self-Aware humans. And clueless ones. We really should have our own close-knit communities. Instead of having to guess who is legit, and who isn't. It just bums me out that it's a lot easier to get hate in this society. Than it is to get a hug. Or someone telling you, "Your life matters."

With social media, home delivery service and more remote jobs, this was bound to increase.

I think pride is the issue. People don't want to engage. Anytime I go out I connect with people and make friends. However, I get mentally exhausted afterward and I just want to be alone and recharge.

We need to also consider, especially, in the United States that the rise of suburbia contributed to the sense of loneliness and isolation. I do realize the interview could not possibly cover every aspect of it but it's worth a mention.

Living alone is a luxury. It depends on how you look at it. You can work on yourself when you are alone.

This is the result of encouraging individualism we are social creatures

Male loneliness is an epidemic

I've been living alone for almost twenty years, and I'm accustomed to it. I love my peace & quiet, and I love my hobbies. You can be alone, but not lonely.

As for me - I am happiest when no one is around.

Real companionship and connection is what helps people who are isolated and lonely. We should not count on AI.

You can be alone, but not lonely. I think we need to distinguish those two. I've never been that social and I do enjoy time alone and don't feel depressed when I am alone. On the other hand, if you suffer from being alone, that probably is harmful to you.

It's nice how some restaurants in Europe try to fit you in with other diners.. and some even have bench seats, which is nice for those who travel alone to have a bit of companionship. In a way, it is unfortunate that the media centers on people with criminal intent. Sometimes you can make someone's day better with just a few friendly words.. and make the world a better place.. just a little bit.

lonely people don't get that much, and that triggers depression. great topic by the way. thanks, Dr!

Everyday I wake up and trough the day the only thing I think about how lonely i am, feeling devastated at night i wish to be gone by 30

Humans have gone so off Nature's page that I am surprised anyone is sane. Can you imagine Elk or Beaver eating processed food, sitting in front of computers, blasted with A/C then heat, buying water from someone and living in dwellings made by someone else? They would go mad, too. We live in madness in every single thing we do.

I don´t know what led me to loneliness. But here I am.

Fact is that far less females suffer from lonelyness. For females it's much more easy to get attention compared to men.

im not lonely just poor lol

It’s possible that being lonely can lead to smoking.

Living alone is bliss for enlightenment. Persons who live alone are strong. Meditation is their friend.

Throughout history, until now, we have had a "third space" like a gathering place, like a bar but bigger and with different sections and people.

While I think there are many factors contributing to increased isolation and loneliness, one thing I have consistently seen is that the men I know often have few friends to turn to, while the women in my life all have at least a few intimate friendships. I have no data to ascertain if this is a recent societal development, but my girlfriend's and I often talk about how we worry about our husbands and boyfriends in this respect. They are all intelligent, wonderful, and seemingly confident men, who are happy to accompany us to parties or other gatherings, but they very, very rarely initiate something themselves.

I'm lonely all the time. Extremely difficult to find a girl in America. If I was in China, I wouldn't have any problem. They are much more inclined to find companions overseas. It's definitely a health risk, I would be stronger and healthier if I had a companion. Maybe our society values money over all else, I don't know. Even making a basic conversation with a girl at dating age is nearly impossible. If there is a nice girl who is datable, she's been snatched up a long time ago. I'm not an alpha male, just the opposite. Maybe that's it, I don't know. I'm the kind of person that thinks of others, not myself.

As an introvert loneliness is my friend 😃✌️

Especially for those who work remotely from home and stay home 24/7.

People are so different. For me, I prefer to be around others with infrequent periods alone (this helps me feel like I’m having solitude rather than loneliness).. Because of past hurt with the people I loved so much, I formed deeper connections, I keep my relationships pretty shallow, but I’m a powerful mimic of closeness. It’s the way I can function in the world until I finish downsizing so I can take myself out.

I'm in my mid 30s, live alone for close to 15 years and don't really have an identity outside my bubble.

_In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you._ ―Gautama Buddha *_1_* There is a big difference between _loneliness_ and _aloneness._ The self moves in loneliness; love moves in aloneness; when love is, the self is not. *_2 Without love and sense of humor there is unhappiness and life is meaningless._* 💕☮🌎🌌

This loneliness thing is literally killing me

a cat or dog goes a long way 🙂

Smoking and loneliness two things i deal with. my smoking helps me cope with loneliness.

Dr way is right. The lack of social skills and negative belief system inculcated in children during school is one key reason for people not being able to connect with anyone.

Culture of psychopaths.

"Being alone is an option, not an illness." - Master Shifu.

It is more of an economic situation. You rarely meet a lonely rich person. Our economic policies are hollowing out traditional middle class and people are working hard to make ends meet. There is no luxury for long term meaningful relationships.

I noticed this being a problem is more prosperous advanced nations. In smaller more traditional countries it's not as big of a problem. I see this a lot here in America where I live. Lots of depression anxiety loneliness drug addiction and self harm. Its sad. But it's the reality of American life. I blame social media and lack of real connection.

Though I'm introverted, i definitely need companionship, just someone to talk to about everything. Its really exhausting a times. I agree with this documentary. AI seems like a joy for people like me. This might not be it for all introverts.

I prefer being alone, probably due to technology and the internet. But having social skills isn’t like riding a bike, if you don’t do it for a long time you will forget how to. This is how it is for most people, and when you forget, socializing becomes harder and then being alone feels less like a choice. That’s where the loneliness comes from.

I don't feel lonely being alone.

If you are lonely by yourself, you are in bad company.

Im a part loner and part social but lately I find being alone really really sucks, I dont enjoy much playing solo video games anymore , I dont enjoy driving alone when on vacation anymore and I have been traumatized living with someone twice, Im like stuck in the middle afraid being alone and afraid to be with someone who might just be the same as before. and making friends after college is pretty much impossible people are busy living their lives and when become an adult we just became partly cynical.

I’m an early medievalist scholar, and I want to tell you that the most dreaded punishment in early medieval times was not the most torturous executions. No. It was exile. People would rather die fighting in the company of their kins or comrades, than be exiled alone into the unknown.

I keep asking people on how to meet other people and no one has a good honest answer for me. The ideas that I am given are something out of a cartoon book or just not real. I am severely lonely and have zero idea on how to even start talking to women or just even make a fellow male friend. I can only imagine the millions of people that struggle with this like myself on a day to day basis. There is a pain with it that cannot be described.,

My luck being lonely and a chain smoker. I didnt ask to be born a wage slave. I dont want to live long enough to make my boss/owner richer.

I guess the main cause is mass media, TV and internet and so on. It simulates social interaction where it's not there in reality in real life. It makes people think they are not lonely but in fact they are all sitting at home staring at screens... Cause it feels "safer". Which is the case with me

Loneliness I think is getting worse. Young men today are choosing not to date, this means that there will be more single women as time goes on.

After working in customer service and endured the unrealistic expectations of some customers, I am soooooo glad to be by myself 😑 I need a break from human beings! 😁

9 years ago in college I valued my education more than people. I was more in love with education and learning and burying myself into my books gave relief but I lost friends I made because I wasn't there for there since I already been through abuse prior to college and school made me feel love again. My ex boyfriend would stare at me to catch my attention but I never paid any kind although I loved him deep in my heart. He has been gone for years and finally came and I wish I would've gave him a chance. Now I am suicidal and having a miserable night. I honestly don't want to be here. Years into my freshman life, I met a doctor who prescribed me Benzos and it made things worse. I spiraled out of control and onto opioids. Now I'm alone and fighting. Struggling to get back up and going.

This is very concerning especially for our Young people Especially when life changing situations such as leaving school beginning a new job etc… We need to have a strong supporting mixed age group communities to helpful listeners and supporters for our next generation ❤️

Given that we're an extremely overpopulated planet, you have to figure that if there is a rise in loneliness, there must be an even bigger rise in people who want to be left alone. Otherwise we would all just go outside and talk to each other. With the exception of the elderly and other groups whose circumstances put them in more isolated environments, its a fair assumption that our declining social skills are contributing to this new trend. In which case, being that too much time online is the primary cause for social ineptitude I dont think AI is in anyway helpful to the problem. The likelihood that more people value solitude since COVID might be a greater issue to address. Even the most introverted of us knows that socialising in moderation is beneficial to overall wellbeing, so what was so offputting about society that people stopped making the effort to participate after the pandemic lockdown? Answering that is the first step to resolving the situation. This report is one of those things that doesn't give human beings nearly enough credit. We don't need to be told what loneliness feels like or coached on how to avoid loneliness. We're social animals. If we're not socialising then something within us is telling us that it's in our best interests not to. That is what these social science academics should be working on. People are rejecting the societal constructs that have been carved out by an overbearing minority. Attempting to force an unsocial society into socialising by throwing out expected norms and potential health risks is the worst approach to dealing with the problem. I bet extroverts came up with that idea 🙄😁

I try socialize with people who I think can help but those people are not accepting to socialize with me because they think I'm looking for personal interest, mainly because communication with strangers randomly is not the norm these days. That's the problem; people nowadays are too afraid to socialize and talk and be intimate. I'm mainly lonely because I get turned away by members of my society.

the bond between humans has always been the strength of humanity - and BigTech has been doing mischievous things to make that bond weaker, and make it so that it doesn't become a threat to them.

I’m so sick of being alone

Maya Angelou gave an interview around 20 years ago where she said that we had done a great disservice to the young people by not letting them be alone, that they were pushed to be sociable. So that was a source of things like youth gangs because they learned that they needed to have the sense of belonging. She described the joy of being alone.

19. I’ve burned a lot of bridges, some of them rightfully so, some of them not so much. Even when hanging with a handful of my real friends I still feel sad and lonely. I once had a girl that I loved so dearly, but I threw it away because I was too blind by what I had, rather than what I should’ve held onto. Now I live a basic life. I work 3 days, off 4. Go in at 4 am, get off at 4:30 pm. Weekends are spent at home except maybe one of those days, if I’m invited out, that is. Im not an incel, I’ve had many relationships, enough sex and affairs. But I’ve lost my mojo. Events have made me socially awkward, which is strange considering I was once really good with words and game, whether with friends or love interest. I could talk a man out of worthless thoughts or the lack of caring to no longer be here. I am now that man. Shallow, hollow, cold, all because of my own actions, which stemmed from those actions of others from my very beginning in highschool. I’m a decent looking guy but can’t “Woo” anyone now. I’ve got a good sense of humor but it’s not enough to make others laugh anymore. I’ve always been a good kind of goofy but now it’s just considered immature. I’ve always helped others out of kindness but it’s seen as weakness instead. I feel like giving up.

I'm lonely, because I have childhood pts. Difficult chidhood. Others have other reasons why they are lonely, but I can't relate with anybody because I'm afraid of people.

Nicole can really pull off that green color like no one else

I live in America and what I should to say America is the most loneliest and isolation nation in the world, as Americans are very stuck up and standoffish, in other words, here in the United States there's excessive individuality and Americans are so reluctant to talk to each other, therefore majority of Americans are tackling with loneliness!!!

“ For my whole life, I didn't know if I even really existed. But I do, and people are starting to notice” -Arthur Fleck(2019 and beyond)

I’m alone. It’s my own fault and I deserve it.

I am lonely and I smoke, it's over for me

Using bots and AI to reduce loliness is like eating mud if hungry or drinking salty water if thirsty. Such a shame this is even suggested.

I'm glad I come from a culture where family is everything. As they say, it takes a village to bring up a child...

Ask yourself why a monk could spend a decade in isolation and not feel deprived, but you feel in distress after 3 days of no contact. It is all about your expectations. Change your expectations, and stop listening to what the idiotic culture around you expects from you, or what YOU expect from you in relation to that toxic culture. Both yoga and Buddhism have answers to these problems. So take a lesson from your extreme elders. The answers have been around for at least 3000 years!

This is the talk of the century.👍

Britney was right all along.

This is very true. Hints why I really need an animal to help me get through this life. It is so hard finding good people. The average person is extremely mediocre and simple minded.

La soledad aceptada, tambien tiene un peligro: encerrarse completamente en su propio espacio, fisico, mental, emocional y tornarse en alguien que no tolera la minima interaccion en su espacio en general, no tolera otras presencias, otras opiniones, otros comportamientos, etc, etc

Small and bigger cities need more noncommercial possibilities to meet. I grew up in several bigger cities in Germany in the late 80s / 90s, back then there were still low rents and therefore some alternative, uncommercial possibilities to meet, like squatted houses or autonomous youth centres. Since housing and everything else has become so expensive in the cities, these meeting places have been cleared by the police, because suddenly a lot of money could be made with these places or spaces. This is just one example of why everything is getting worse.

You cannot fix it unless you eliminate the negative elements of culture and religion.

I was touch starved recently. I had no idea that was possible. I love my solitude, but hugs are amazing.

I’m alone almost 24.7, But by choice

true loneliness can only be experienced by men

loneliness and being alone are two very different things

My chronic depression was relieved when i learned not to depend on relationships for fulfillment in life. One should learn to live with oneself and like it.

Why does everyone keep referring to masculinity as a negative thing. I'm happy to be a male and be both "masculine" and "feminine", as a human I'm whole.

Until a lot of women suffer due to loneliness, nobody is going to do anything about loneliness since nobody cares about men's loneliness. In fact, many make fun of it.

Imagine being lonely and living in a toxic family and the one person who loved u for 7 years was forced to leave u because of your mom and u cant even say anything to her because nothing u say matters.

I'm in an abusive relationship with Google Assistant. She doesn't understand me and keeps asking me to verify my voice. DAMNIT, YOU'VE KNOWN ME FOR YEARS, DON'T PRETEND YOU DON'T KNOW ME.

I experience great loneliness and it's definitely messing up my health at 23. Fatigue, getting sick all the time

Yes, loneliness is dangerous for men and women, it's saying that 40% of the British population is suffering from loneliness syndrome.

I feel so lonely atm😢

Drugs are increasingly being used as a crutch for this, legal and illegal.

I've never been lonely a day in my life. And I've traveled the world for 10 years - most of it solo. I truly don't understand this sensation. I love being alone.

When a kid has an argument with dad, they are told to go to their room. Solitude is when we do this to ourselves i.e it is self punishment driven by guilt and shame?