NYC XYZ
2006-08-07 02:19:06 UTC
Heh heh...it's funny how being lonely is actually a put-down! Don't
you just love being a statistic....
Good article. Touches on loneliness at several age levels and social
situations.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/07/31/lonely.nation.ap/index.html
EXCERPTS
It seems ironic, even to those who are affected. The nation has never
been more populous, soon to reach the 300 million mark. And it has
never been more connected -- by phone, e-mail, instant message, text
message, and on and on.
Yet so many are alone in the crowd.
...
In June, an authoritative study in the American Sociological Review
found that the average American had only two close friends in whom they
would confide on important matters, down from an average of three in
1985. The number of people who said they had no such confidant soared
from 10 percent in 1985 to nearly 25 percent in 2004; an additional 19
percent said they had only one confidant -- often their spouse.
...
"You go on some profiles and they say they have 1,000 friends, and they
probably don't even know half of them," she said.
...
"All the students I work with have incredibly many pseudo-intimate
relationships online -- but without the kind of risk and vulnerability
that goes with sitting across a cafe booth from another person," Powell
said.
...
Seepersad said some of the students were predictably shy and withdrawn,
others on the surface seemed extroverted and socially skilled. He
encouraged them to share their feelings, analyze why they felt lonely
and work on their social skills.
"Lonely people may not be aware of things they're doing that perpetuate
the problem," he said. "It's something that can be helped."
you just love being a statistic....
Good article. Touches on loneliness at several age levels and social
situations.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/07/31/lonely.nation.ap/index.html
EXCERPTS
It seems ironic, even to those who are affected. The nation has never
been more populous, soon to reach the 300 million mark. And it has
never been more connected -- by phone, e-mail, instant message, text
message, and on and on.
Yet so many are alone in the crowd.
...
In June, an authoritative study in the American Sociological Review
found that the average American had only two close friends in whom they
would confide on important matters, down from an average of three in
1985. The number of people who said they had no such confidant soared
from 10 percent in 1985 to nearly 25 percent in 2004; an additional 19
percent said they had only one confidant -- often their spouse.
...
"You go on some profiles and they say they have 1,000 friends, and they
probably don't even know half of them," she said.
...
"All the students I work with have incredibly many pseudo-intimate
relationships online -- but without the kind of risk and vulnerability
that goes with sitting across a cafe booth from another person," Powell
said.
...
Seepersad said some of the students were predictably shy and withdrawn,
others on the surface seemed extroverted and socially skilled. He
encouraged them to share their feelings, analyze why they felt lonely
and work on their social skills.
"Lonely people may not be aware of things they're doing that perpetuate
the problem," he said. "It's something that can be helped."