Study: Americans Still in Need of Connection

 

By Frank Filocomo

Findings from the latest Social Connection in America™ survey don't exactly inspire much optimism. 

They more or less confirmed what we already know to be true: Americans are devoid of adequate social connection. 

According to the survey, "four in ten Americans report moderate to severe loneliness."

That's significant. And very troubling. 

And virtual connection - whether it be Zoom or FaceTime calls - doesn't cut it. 

I wrote a bit about the inferiority of virtual connection for RealClear Books & Culture last year (see here). While better than nothing, IRL human connection remains inimitable. 

Another, sadly, unsurprising finding: "57% of Americans do not belong to clubs or organizations."

I can already hear Robert Putnam, 26 years after the publication of Bowling Alone, saying "I told you so."

As I said, this survey just reinforces what we all see around us. Take the train, for instance, and you'll see the zombified masses tethered to screens. There is no effort to connect to our fellow community members. 

Work has become transactional, with little emphasis on the importance of shooting the breeze by the water cooler. 

Rather, the emphasis is on efficiency and productivity. Working on Excel sheets until your fingers feel numb and your eyes are red is productive; chatting with colleagues is not. 

What if we've become too productive? Too obsessed with work? Too preoccupied with self-improvement?

Perhaps we'd be better off if we learned to slow down. Leisure mustn't continue to be looked down upon as wasted time. 

This study, for example, finds that "doing the things you enjoy can be good for your health."

So, the jury's in: Loneliness is bad for you. Leisure is good for you. 

Americans, thus, must make an effort to slow down, embrace leisure, and reorient their mindsets away from workaholism and towards quality time with quality people. 

Perhaps this is something that Europeans understand better than we do...