"Even people with busy social lives can feel lonely if they aren't getting the quality time or intimacy they need. Like me, Martin felt his needs weren't being met. Researching the topic for his new audiobook Where Did Everybody Go?, he found that loneliness is simply defined as the gap between the connection you want and the connection you're getting."
"Lately, life has felt like Groundhog Day: work, gym, sleep, repeat. Between a punishing work schedule, the grim weather and my desire to hibernate, my social life has suffered. I feel dissatisfied, restless and isolated. But I have plenty of friends and active group chats I can't be lonely, surely? Wrong! I have made a common error, according to Don Martin, content creator and host of the podcast Head on Fire."
Life can feel repetitive and isolating despite many friends and active group chats when the quality and intimacy of interactions fall short. Loneliness is defined as the gap between the connection one wants and the connection one is getting. People can feel lonely even in crowded rooms. Proactive, flexible social strategies—such as choosing voice notes over texts, playing online games like Animal Crossing with friends, and shedding low-value commitments—can increase meaningful contact. Treating busyness as social fulfilment is a mistake; prioritising fewer, deeper interactions restored a sense of connection during a two-week experiment of varied approaches.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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