Psychology says the most isolating part of retirement isn't being alone - it's realizing that most of your relationships were held together by proximity, routine, and utility, not genuine curiosity about who you are - Silicon Canals

"The biggest predictor of who became friends with whom wasn't shared interests or compatible personalities. It was physical proximity. People who lived closer together were far more likely to become friends."

"We mistake that familiarity for genuine connection because the daily contact gives it the texture of friendship. There are inside jokes, shared frustrations, a comfortable rhythm."

"Remove the context, and you find out very quickly which relationships were built on mutual curiosity about each other and which were built on the accident of shared geography."

Friendships often rely on physical proximity rather than shared interests or personalities. The propinquity effect explains that people become friends primarily due to their closeness in location. This principle applies in workplaces where daily interactions create a sense of connection. However, when the context changes, such as in retirement, the true nature of these relationships is revealed. Many friendships may dissolve when the daily contact is removed, exposing those built on mere geography rather than genuine curiosity and connection.

Read at Silicon Canals