What's happening?

Sat on a New York City sofa, sipping coffee, cracking jokes and laughing with his friends. This is how the world will remember the actor Matthew PerryAn American and Canadian actor, best known for playing Chandler Bing in the sitcom Friends. He died aged 54, in October 2023., who has died aged 54.

Perry says his character in the comedy Friends, Chandler Bing, was just like him. He too wanted to be loved by everybody and to be famous. But in the end, fame could not fix the troubles he had in his life.

For many years, he suffered from addictionA health problem in which someone does not have control over what they are doing or substances they are taking, to the point that it is harmful. to alcohol and drugs.

Fame and money did not bring him happiness. He often said all he really wanted was to find the right person to spend his life with, but he never found them.

Some of the star's fans feel he is a symbolA thing that stands for something else, or a sign. of a very modern problem: loneliness.

Find out more

We know loneliness can cause medical problems. Some doctors say being lonely is just as bad for you as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Today, around a quarter of 18-24-year-olds say they feel lonely most of the time and usually have no-one to talk to.

Experts say there are many reasons why we are so lonely today. In the past, most people lived in small villages where they knew everyone. But today most people on Earth live in big cities and they do not know their neighbours.

Another reason is that people today are much more likely to move, so they can not form deep friendships over their whole lifetime.

Yes! Today, most people do not have the strong community of people around them they would have had in the past. No wonder many people are lonely.

No! There is no reason to think people in the past felt less lonely than we do. We just talk more about it. Today, we can make friends with the whole world online if we want to.