Do we need to relearn the art of hanging out? More and more young people today say they feel lonely. Why?
'Quiet crisis' of loneliness is getting worse
Do we need to relearn the art of hanging out? More and more young people today say they feel lonely. Why?
<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">What's happening?</h2>
Do you ever feel lonely? If the answer is yes, you are not alone. Today, nearly half of all adults in the UK say they feel lonely some of the time. And 3.3 million say they are lonely for lots of the time.
Loneliness can be bad for your health. Some scientists even say it is as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes per day.
The UK has been called "the loneliness capital of Europe". The number of people who say they feel lonely is growing. Today, more young people say they feel lonely than older people.
Scientists think that feelings of loneliness stem from millions of years ago, back to our primateAny mammal from the group that includes lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes and humans. ancestorsThe people related to us who lived a long time ago. . Primates need to belong to a group to survive, and so being alone can cause worry and stress.
Now, others think that more people feel lonely because of the way we live in the modern world. More people live alone, work from home or in part-time jobs and use technology to speak to others instead of meeting in person. And we have just come out of several years in which people were forced to stay inside by lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemicAn outbreak of disease which occurs across a wide geographic area, as opposed to an epidemic, which is confined to a particular region..
Yes! There is only one real answer to loneliness: learning how to spend time with others and make new friends.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">Find out more</h2>
No! We know how to have friends. But we live in a world which makes meeting new people and forming friendships very difficult.
Primate - Any mammal from the group that includes lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes and humans.
Ancestors - The people related to us who lived a long time ago.
Pandemic - An outbreak of disease which occurs across a wide geographic area, as opposed to an epidemic, which is confined to a particular region.
<h5 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper" id="question"><strong>Do we need to relearn the art of hanging out? </strong></h5>
‘Quiet crisis’ of loneliness is getting worse

Glossary
Primate - Any mammal from the group that includes lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes and humans.
Ancestors - The people related to us who lived a long time ago.
Pandemic - An outbreak of disease which occurs across a wide geographic area, as opposed to an epidemic, which is confined to a particular region.