Is Loneliness a Health Epidemic?
Loneliness might be the logical conclusion to a society going more and more towards metrics. Likes, dislikes, upvotes, downvotes. Dissenters are punished, perfection is idolized.<p>Research is pretty conclusive that to have tight friendships you need vulnerability to some degree, yet if people want perfection that implies <i>invulnerability</i>. If you accept these premises to be true, then it seems loneliness is inevitable.<p>As an aside, I also think income inequality might lead to more loneliness.