Aiden Duncan
Professor Beth Hammet
English 1213
5/6/2024
Loneliness as a Social Epidemic
For creatures that rely on social connection, a lack of it can be deadly. Humans are naturally social creatures. They develop societies, social groups, and relationships in order to fulfill their craving for human connection. This strong urge exists in almost every human; it is so ubiquitous that society sees those who do not crave it are often labeled as dangers to society or extremely mentally ill. However, for those who crave it but do not have it they experience a deep sense of loneliness often leading to negative mental and physical health outcomes. Life requires a delicate balance between solitude and socialization. As written by Dr. Ami Rokach “Loneliness is a part of the existence which is essential to mankind such as life, death, relaxing, enjoying, and feeling pain etc. '' He then goes on to say “...it is a problem to be controlled when this is not the preferance of the person and it is harmful.” Which means “...ensuring the understanding how the loneliness is a problem, what its causes are, its nature, its prevalence by some research can be the first step of controlling the loneliness” (Rokach) While this issue may seem intractable, there are actually many solutions to curb this pervasive social epidemic.
One solution that has shown high efficacy is animal assisted therapy. One of the demographics that tends to be the most lonely is the elderly. This is because many of their friends, family, and colleagues have died leaving them alone with limited interaction. They are also limited by their lack of mobility. It is difficult to go out and make friends if they cannot go out without feeling mild to severe pain with every step. This often leads to a more sedentary lifestyle which can cause health issues and eventual death. According to Juliet Harvey “Whether measurements are subjective or objective, the majority of older adults are sedentary. Approximately 60% of older adult’s report sitting for more than 4 h per day and over 54% report watching more than 3 h of TV and 65% sit in front of a screen for over 3 h.” (Harvey et. al.).
This can often be very harmful, “This review confirms previous evidence of the relationship between sedentary behavior and all-cause mortality among adults.”(Rezende et al. 7).
As previously mentioned, animal assisted therapy (often called AAT) can help these older populations. According to a 2001 study “The results of this study show that AAT can effectively reduce the loneliness of residents in long-term care facilities who wish to receive such therapy.”(Banks and Banks 4). This would be highly effective for those who are largely sedentary. Having a dog means that they have to walk it, and every minute spent walking it is a minute spent outside not watching television. This may also lead to better health outcomes and more interpersonal interaction. If they have a pet that also gives them opportunities to talk to other pet owners which may help them find a more permanent solution for their loneliness i.e. meeting actual people to talk to. This is also highly efficacious because many of these people have limited interactions with their children. Many older people have spent much of their life caring for children or their families and as they grow old their family members tend to pass on or move away. A pet can give them something to care for. Which may be able to fulfill their parental inclinations.
Older people have long been recognized as a very lonely cohort as a consequence this has left young people to go unnoticed in this issue. This also means that there has been limited inquiry into possible solutions to their issues. “This paper presented a comprehensive review of loneliness informatics. While there has been significant work done on countering loneliness in older adults, the same is not true for younger people, who have the highest loneliness numbers.” (Sahah and Househ). There are many perspectives on social media’s interactions with loneliness among youth and young adults: “There are factors that may affect addiction possibilities, such as low social capital, which can carry over to social media and bullying, which can happen in social media and web-based spaces. (Sahah and Househ).” However, according to the same review social media could also be the solution to the loneliness of some youth “Overall, social media was found to be an effective intervention tool and strategy for countering loneliness. CAs and DHs, forms of digital technology with the added features of human-like language processing or human-like appearance, were also found to be helpful as coping mechanisms for loneliness.” (Sahah and Househ). This is something to consider because this may prepare people for real social interaction. It also seems promising due to its ability to reach people in harmful environments. Individuals who may not be regularly accepted by their peers still crave interaction so if they are able to interact with other people online or human-like interfaces online they may be able to satisfy that craving. The idea that people would need to use artificial intelligence or other such programs to help cure their loneliness seems rather dystopian. However, it is notable that the majority of people are not lonely. Therefore it is not as if the majority of people would be in their homes relegated to an online chatbot. It would likely be a select few people who would otherwise be unable to quell their feelings of loneliness.
A common theme throughout the solutions presented in the literature is simulated human interaction. In the study about animal assisted therapy, the participants saw a reduction in loneliness after being assigned pets to take care of. This simulated their need to take care of their families and gave them a purpose. In the review examining the causes and solutions of loneliness among young people, it found that online interactions may be key in helping very lonely youth. It found that online social groups could be good for those that do not fit in with their peers. It went as far as to say that even online chat programs may aid in curbing the issue of loneliness. Even though the issue is pervasive, there are many ways that we can help solve loneliness.
Works Cited
Harvey, Juliet A., et al. “Prevalence of Sedentary Behavior in Older Adults: A Systematic Review.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 10, no. 12, Dec. 2013, pp. 6645–61. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph10126645.
Banks, Marian, and William Banks. “The Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Loneliness in an Elderly Population in Long-Term Care Facilities.” Journal of Gerontology: MEDICAL SCIENCES, vol. Vol. 57A, No. 7, M428–M432, 2002, watermark.silverchair.com/M428.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAA2gwggNkBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggNVMIIDUQIBADCCA0oGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMePePxxhLOKzUTj6FAgEQgIIDG5qcqZgVq8Y9fuNAkboHw6x1FXqq0XS7UN3hcRH23BAgGZicT-JJcz7ePK_pd3nT-9SwZAKnHUEJRWdDL6mWnYIXZKSlGswChxFCMhQaeMpJBlygJI6JAVKbU8gTBOF7Cle9XBrenpJ5EPKJp4B2ua4_2djUWRg1DrgOB_9QKGJcwezpZxkxsWYaCTWM3XOCMhimpSg1rnrLccSjr0s86P27ex8W6s_gRAuMano-Qwd4W4SfD_kMZhPkWfaNw4tsVNf150jLfccrpSl0prxAbdqStrTG0ojvwqudlZmi97kL8uA4_sw0T4U13Az0vrQjBrB0zjZulHIAmB08Mq9utI5tDhALZ7Dcdu-iRZXvjTiB86noU61QlnHQmBCWm3ohsIabINjN270Lki3Ei7yYXK490gOayImaE4dTnsMsTA32IPWU9u69u-3oytPqKngg4cXWqnHzszySSXn7FcR8VrHp4ADaoxpIVd7eK-xqNb3u8Pxv59yyaveFFdEEBcUyGH4s6mKoCY5quFhzb4eLyC90MaPkuBilmyuOcw5xWXkIC19HwU2c4qeaeke5d3SpKYufBCEtl-WCYPM9H0QdYjM7cRUh4sWIQpIkDcIZFCgw4FrTT-2BM6SbfRVh0bOK9RYHNQUpGzcuKHfnm6LtB5idDgxuw8xXCGJ4oBrTLVRqBN1OXeJi_AeKc2JQjaChJMioM1qxwSig1SBIWiSe4Jky6d0YGiZdVRs_1UHBWejd5ohAHHZ6KpNuFoKadggFQBAG1qCj44jF7icTjdA-1QPyGB90AlHa13yikYF1Ch7Y1ux9PYPnezgnxvWYaWdIM9SU2SM-2yr3HR0xcOm3yM2UlnsLmF9Tjge_wrliyjBzHxS3JLFFAipSTm6_ANX-xfQSB0UIowVkYNlOIP7tSylhrvNM_24hAcl6i-vUrc4eVhFDMWf7-xIBGoS22Q9kyaueGoK1HrWT4NIIV4IXEkEMLXq8WZM1laCXeweAvdXq42wK0krrFgcFHbVaSwJTMs9V6n-RkgLRbIk6A0og-VM_eaqP5_6c3c_ZgA.
Rezende, Leandro F. M., et al. “Sedentary Behavior and Health Outcomes Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review.” BMC Public Health, vol. 14, no. 1, Apr. 2014, https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-333.
Shah, Hurmat Ali, and Mowafa Househ. “Understanding Loneliness in Younger People: Review of the Opportunities and Challenges for Loneliness Interventions.” Interactive Journal of Medical Research, vol. 12, Nov. 2023, p. e45197. https://doi.org/10.2196/45197.
Tayli, Aslı. “Coping With Loneliness: Methods Young People Often Prefer1.” Journal of Educational and Social Research, Sept. 2014, https://doi.org/10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n6p111.
---. “Sedentary Behavior and Health Outcomes Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review.” BMC Public Health, vol. 14, no. 1, Apr. 2014, https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-333.
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