F i ve myths about l oneliness

Months of stay- at- home orders are taking their toll, but even before the pandemic, loneliness was a defining condition of the 21st century. Here are five common myths.

1 seniors are loneliest

It’s actually the young whom study after study reveals as the loneliest. In a 2019 Yougov survey, roughly 1 in 5 millennials reported having no friends.

2 Loneliness is a mental health problem

The lonely or socially isolated, according to a review of 23 studies, have a 29 per cent higher risk of heart disease and a 32 per cent higher chance of stroke.

3 Open- plan offices deepen relations

Studies have shown that if people in open- plan offices spoke to one another, they did so for shorter periods, and preferred email and messaging.

4

City dwellers are less lonely than rural

A New York magazine writer leaned on a striking correlation: “States with the worst suicide rates are the least dense.” But the General Social Survey of American adults found little if any difference among urban, suburban and rural residents.