Wake up at 8 a.m.
Be on Zoom by 9 a.m.
Work until 5 p.m.
Workout at 7 p.m.
Make dinner at 8 p.m.
A few hours of relaxation until falling asleep.
Five days a week.
By the time the weekend rolls around, you are burnt out. Spending the weekend with your cat and catching up on a series you are binging sounds perfect.
Soon, months go by and you realize you have not hung out with your friends in months. You only have brief interactions with the baristas and your coworkers. You are lonely.
This is a common problem here in the U.S., with up to 21 percent of adults saying they have serious problems with loneliness. It is most common with people in early and middle adulthood — a problem created by our modern world.
Media, working from home, longer work days, living farther from family, and less community outreach has created a culture that makes it easy to fall prey to loneliness. For Gen Z and Millennials most impacted by this, we need to prioritize social interaction as a value — not just a hobby.
Another common issue is that many people in their later adulthood will find that their spouse has become their only friend. While this does show a good relationship between the two, it can still lead to people feeling isolated from other parts of life and their community.
As seen with the rise of gym memberships over the past two decades, one thing is apparent: Health is important to young adults. There has also been a rise in the acknowledgement and treatment of mental health as well. Yet, our health includes relationships — something that has been ignored by many.
There have been noted benefits when communities are close-knit. The Roseto effect looks at a small Pennsylvania town — Roseto — and how despite their not particularly good diet, residents still had lower levels of heart disease than the rest of the country. The close relations between residents’ lowered stress-levels, consequently lowering health problems. This shows the benefit to our health that is being close to the community you live in.
So how can we get more interaction and build closer communities? There are many ways now. One is the old-fashioned way of making friends through work. With the rise of remote work, interaction between co-workers can be null. This takes away a cornerstone of how many relationships were formed in the last century.
Getting more interaction requires a willingness to get out into the community. This can be done through run clubs, volunteering, frisbee golf, board game nights, and trivia among others. Websites like Meetup.com have been created as a digital community board for events like these to be posted.
Interaction within our community could also help bridge the polarisation we feel in today’s political climate. Breaking out of your bubble and meeting people you do not interact with naturally can help you learn about others in your community and build a deeper understanding.
Humans are social creatures. To live a happier and healthier life, let’s embrace that.