Illustration by Dorothy Leung
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It’s hard to admit when you’re feeling lonely. Loneliness can sometimes be triggered by the loss of a loved one or a job, relocating to a new city, or experiencing health or financial struggles. While many people choose to be alone, at least part of the time, others, particularly the elderly, are forced by circumstances beyond their control to live confined to their homes.
And loneliness, particularly social isolation, can actually be bad for our health. So understanding where it comes from, and how to fight it, is key to our prolonged survival.
But clinical psychiatrist Thomas Verny believes there’s a golden middle. In a piece published in The Globe and Mail, Verny writes that nourishing our sense of connection with others must also be balanced by learning to be comfortable when alone.
On Thursday, March 6 at 1 p.m. ET, Verny answered reader questions about the loneliness epidemic, how it can affect our minds and bodies, and how social isolation can hurt our societies, too. Verny is a clinical psychiatrist, academic, award-winning author, public speaker, poet and podcaster, and the author of eight books.
What is causing the increasing trends toward loneliness? Can socializing really improve our health? What does this have to do with our gut biomes? Read the responses now.
