I think there's a deep loneliness to her life that cohabiting with her brother kept at bay-and, now that he's gone, she is forced to face it. As more of Kim's letters are delivered, Helen becomes invested in the narrative they form, as if she were piecing together a puzzle, one that, in some ways, echoes her own past. Kim's family is Muslim, from Pakistan.
He said it is not always about bright colors. Dark and grey tones can give an image more depth and strength than bright colors ever could. Also, it can show the rawness of a story and make it more powerful. I was not convinced. I even took a picture of the painting, thinking I would look at it again later. And it took me years to understand.
In the Philippines-where extended families share meals daily, church communities gather weekly, and people spend hours each day on social media-57% of citizens report feeling very or fairly lonely, according to Meta-Gallup's 2023 Global State of Social Connections report, the second-highest rate globally. Separate surveys suggest Filipino youth are among the loneliest in Southeast Asia.
The company has equipped it with its proprietary AI engine and promises "human-like cognition, emotional awareness and expressive behavior." The doll, which in the marketing video is called Emily, is Lovense's answer to the global loneliness crisis. It says, over time, a user's relationship with the system will grow deeper as it learns to adapt to their needs. And that the doll is the natural evolution of the virtual companions that have, until now, "existed only on phones and screens."
The questions usually come after the lights are off - innocent, unplanned, impossible. It was the night of my 39th birthday, and I was lying in the dark beside my 4-year-old son, watching him as he drifted toward sleep. I know he's close when he rests his right cheek on the pillow, facing away from me, his body finally slowing down.
I have everything I once believed would make life feel whole: a loving family, dependable friends, financial stability, my own apartment, and a car that starts every morning. My closets hold more clothes and shoes than I need. The fridge is full. These are countless people can only dream of. And yet, I am lonely. Nationwide, that loneliness is not unusual. A from 2022 showed nearly 40% of adults experience moderate to severe loneliness. Proof that material comfort doesn't guarantee emotional connection.
According to the 2018 AARP Loneliness and Social Connections Survey study, LGBTQ+ males are at an increased risk for chronic loneliness and commonly usetechnology to socialize with friends. Those participants said they spent too much time alone and engaged in more risky or unhealthy behaviors when lonely. Heterosexuals more often socialize with friends in person. Why is this a difference?
This is a film made with the best of intentions and it has some good insights into the loneliness and isolation of seeking asylum in the UK. But there are a few too many sentimental moments to properly work as social-realism, or anything close to convincing drama, which is disappointing given its creator, Don Ng, is a journalist-turned-director making his feature debut.
Some truly special people will be pulling on their uniforms and heading out to work, he said. Many volunteers will be out there as well. Serving food. Reaching out to help those lonely or in need. As a nation, we should raise a glass to you this Christmas. But more than that, we should each do our bit as well.
For starters, ask them. If that still doesn't help, give them a gift that lets them know more about who you are. Both strategies, Aknin has found, will likely increase your connection with the other person. Most importantly, when you give from the heart, you will likely reduce the loneliness of others, which, again, will have the boomerang effect of reducing yours.
As executives rise to higher levels of leadership, they often report increased feelings of loneliness. One Harvard Business Review survey found that 55% of CEOs acknowledge experiencing moderate but significant bouts of loneliness, while 25% report frequent feelings of loneliness. As your expertise becomes more specialized, it can be harder to find other leaders who understand the unique challenges of the corporate environment, with whom you can connect, learn from, and grow alongside.
"Hi." The 20-something man approached my table, the corner of his mouth curving up. He looked away and rubbed his chin before making eye contact and telling me: "I just wanted you to know that if you'd come in sooner, my girlfriend and I would've invited you to join us." I smiled at him. It was nice of him to want to create community with me, although I was perfectly happy just as I was. But he wasn't quite finished.
When I was 17, I moved from India to the United States for college. The experience shaped my independence, teaching me how to start conversations, solve problems, and feel confident. Years later, when I took my first solo trip to the Himalayas in northern India, I was able to put these skills to use again. I made friends, stayed with locals, and tried tons of new experiences - from paragliding to visiting a monastery.
December. What is it about this most wonderful time of the year? Lights appear. Playlists shift. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas or It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year spark memories and singing. A musical phrase takes us back to a childhood living room, a parent singing in the kitchen, a snowy sidewalk, the smell of cookies waiting to be decorated, a gathering long past. Nostalgia, celebration, reflection, gratitude, joy.
Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
"It is a beautiful feeling that allows you to discover new things, but it also makes you feel very unhappy and lonely." This paradoxical description comes from a research participant in Türkiye in our multi-country investigation of social connection. In Türkiye-a culture synonymous with çay (tea) shared among friends and legendary hospitality- loneliness wears an unexpected face. Türkiye reports high loneliness rates despite cultural traditions emphasizing warmth and connection.
This loneliness epidemic isn't another headline we can shrug off - it's a direct threat to our fundamental need to belong, which is hardwired into us for survival. For nearly 300,000 years, the human species survived in tight-knit tribes - small groups where people had each other's backs. Being cast out wasn't awkward; it was a death sentence. Those exact same associations remain in our brains today: Disconnection = danger. Belonging = safety. So, when we lose meaningful connection, our bodies respond as if something is terribly wrong. Stress rises, well-being declines, and both mental and physical health suffer.
The last real party I threw was in 2019, back when I'd sometimes have odd groupings of women over to my tiny New York apartment. At that final one-after everyone was fumbling and drunk, overheated from proximity-I cracked a kitchen window so that one of my friends could smoke, and we all clustered around her to feel the air. There was such joy in bundling together like that. I made a new friend at that party. I learned a secret that was truly bizarre.
Participants frequently described Brazilians as warm and expressive people. Many described their social contexts as centered on warmth, collectivity, and joy. Physical affection-greeting kisses and embraces-serves as social currency. Gathering around food, music, and dance isn't just leisure; participants described these as essential to connection itself. But when sociability is culturally prized, admitting loneliness feels like personal failure. One participant explained: "Loneliness is more camouflaged...it's wrong to talk about being alone, being unwell, being sad, it's disturbing."
What does it really mean to be wired for connection? In the ancient world, our ancestors faced tremendous challenges, including food scarcity and predators hunting them. Survival was challenging, but humans work together in groups very well. So, when it came to survival of the fittest, the most social humans were the fittest. As a result, our brains have built-in social reward systems.
If you've ever consumed any media, you would be forgiven for thinking that life after 35 is a burning wasteland of unimaginable horrors: the beginnings of incessant back pain, an interest in dishwasher loading, the discovery that you're ineligible for entire industries billed as a young person's game, and, apparently, an inability to make friends. It becomes harder to make friends as you get older, goes the adage, and indeed, 69% of people in a US survey by Talker Research agree that making close friends becomes more difficult as you age.
The trend involves men calling their male friends to wish them goodnight, often capturing their surprised, confused, or awkward reactions. These interactions break traditional masculine communication norms, which typically discourage emotional expression between male friends. The humor often masks a deeper psychological need for connection that has been suppressed by conventional masculine ideals. Here is some context as the trend emerges within a broader acknowledgment of increasing male social isolation.
They naturally turn dinner into a shared experience, and You never know who you'll be seated next to; that's the fun of it! The fun of having dinner interrupted by someone explaining loudly that their therapist says they're a highly sensitive empath as they elbow you in the face reaching for the soy sauce? Or being squeezed next to a Hyrox bore chomping chicken breasts to fuel his farmer's carries?
It's well known that dating apps are a nightmare, that hell is empty and all the demons are on Hinge, to the extent people aren't really allowed to complain about it any more. It would sound like whining about getting run over after you couldn't be bothered to use an underpass, so you just ran across a motorway and hoped for the best.
I'm 37 and I don't think I've ever felt lonelier in my life than I have for the past 10 years or so. I used to think something was wrong with me or that I was unlikable in some way, but that wasn't the case. I feel a big reason is that I'm single and everyone is doing their own thing, whether it's their career, getting married, or trying to figure themselves out. I just know something is off, and I haven't quite figured out how to fix it. It's like a massive life transition.
It's now cuffing season, when many singles scramble to find short-term partners to help them get through the upcoming holiday season and what may seemingly be the dreariest and loneliest months of the year. Cuffing is short for handcuffing from October through March; people temporarily handcuff themselves to partners before the release in the following Spring. But before you partake in this annual singles dating ritual off the cuff-meaning without thinking it through-it's important to be mindful of the risks.
When I was pregnant, we moved to a new town, to a wreck of a house we planned to do up. My mum, who was ill, moved in with us, and then I was the carer of a newborn and a dying parent at the two extremes of life, but sharing many of the same needs, and often at the same time.
