Not all countries are affected by the production of statistics on loneliness and isolation, the United States is one of the few that does. And the latest results show a frightening reality: the number of people claiming to be alone has doubled in the last 3 decades, from 20% to 40%.
This data seems to match what is happening in many other countries. More and more people decide to be single forever; the number of people over the age of 65 living in isolation increases due to the indifference and disinterest of their families. Neighbors talk less and less. Even today’s children remain more alone than ever in history.
- Isolation.
- Control.
- Uncertainty.
- Repetition of the message and emotional manipulation are techniques used to brainwash.
- -Eduardo Punset-.
All these phenomena, taken together, are the price of individualism. We design societies where independence, autonomy, individuals are given excessive value. Many people are more concerned about differentiating the difference from others than finding similarities. The exaltation of self is a priority for many people.
We cannot assume that social isolation is simply a way of life. Research around the world has come to the same conclusion: people who are or feel alone are more likely to get sick and die sooner.
Research from the University of Chicago shows that children who grow up alone are at a higher risk of serious health problems 20 years later. Another survey indicates that those who live in isolation are 30% more likely to die in the next 7 years.
It was also noted that isolated people are starting to develop poor sleep habits, they also suffer alterations in the immune system, have an increased risk of heart attack and have higher levels of stress hormones.
Social isolation occurs in both sexes, with a slight advantage for the male percentage, the most worrying thing is that it is also present in all ages and in all social classes, we only know that people with university education tend to be less isolated.
However, there are specific groups where social isolation is concentrated, almost all of them are vulnerable people, those most at risk of isolation are children, adults over the age of 65, and those with a physical illness or limitation.
The most serious thing is that in almost everyone there is a barrier that prevents them from talking about their loneliness, and even harder is to ask for help, they feel that declaring themselves as isolated people means damaging their own image and they fear the consequences of what others may face.
Just as the ideology of individualism was promoted, a place was also created for a strong trend towards collaborative norms. This phenomenon first appeared in the economy: the verb?Have?started to be replaced by the verbs “rent”, “borrow”, etc. Shared car service is an example.
It has also expanded with houses (AIRBNB), tools, food and even experiments. From this world of production, a collaborative and supportive sense emerges daily. The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (USA) It has created a platform called links, where an exchange of intergenerational services is offered.
On platforms like these each member says what he needs, for example, learn to cook, walk the dog, have a companion to go to the doctor, anyone who wants to meet this need will do so voluntarily. Then you can also get help for another activity or just be satisfied with the service provided.
So this seems to be modern solidarity: through the Internet, although the Internet itself has been a powerful nutrient for social isolation, it can also have a use like this, in this way, it would serve to restore lost ties with the world. thus give us an idea of possible solutions to this contemporary isolation. They are a light in the face of an evil that seems to grow without anyone doing anything.