The rise of solitude

We spend more time alone than ever before. We eat alone, we socialise alone, we entertain ourselves alone, and more recently, we’ve even started having relationships on our own.  Health organisations have been talking about the dangers of loneliness for years. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared loneliness to be one of its pressing global health threats. The US Surgeon General has said the impact of loneliness has the same impact on health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. And yet, we’re all slowly, quietly drifting into worlds of our own making. That’s why in this week’s Brink, I’m going to be talking about the quiet rise of solitude, and its impact not only on our health but our friends, families, and the societies we live in.