Is there an epidemic of loneliness?

It is the paradox of our modern society. we’re constantly connected, but we’ve never felt so alone. Almost half of French people say they feel lonely (46%, according to a study on this topic carried out by Viavoice and BloomTime for the Jean-Jacques Foundation*).

Different feelings

The novelty, perhaps, lies in what we put behind the word. Shouldn’t we talk about loneliness in the plural? First, there is a fundamental difference between objective loneliness, which is more related to the concept of isolation, and subjective loneliness, which is of an emotional order. While the former is decreasing in numbers, the latter continues to grow. The study decided to focus on these subjective loneliness, creating a real map of these feelings. The authors use the somewhat obscure word “sociosis” to talk about this pathology of relationships, which has been highlighted with Covid, and on which they analyze the variety of manifestations. They distinguish “happy” solitudes because they are chosen in the context of regaining control of time for oneself, as opposed to solitudes of “relational trials” or even melancholic solitudes with a “feeling of inactivity, emptiness.” uselessness (especially due to lack of meaning in the work).

Not so much social media

One of the authors, Adrien Broschet, emphasizes the ambiguous role of social networks in these phenomena. “By weaving spaces for sociability, they play the role of entertainment and give their users the illusion of not being alone anymore. This is reflected in the figures of the study. 6 in 10 people say it’s helpful for combating loneliness, but the nature and function of these networks has changed, and with them, the effects on our relationships. The first generation worked to establish contact, connect with friends, close circle. it’s very different during reals and shorts (videos of strangers sent in these new media). The same people interviewed realize that this does not help them discuss or meet new people, but on the contrary makes them sedentary, closes them in.”

Social networks act as a hobby and give the illusion to those who use them that they are no longer alone.

Adrienne Brosh

The study casts doubt on the purported benefits of chosen solitude, which are touted by both personal development theories and self-time advocates. “The most positive people are often the ones least exposed to reality.” The choice to be alone is sometimes made at the expense of connecting with others. The idea that a couple requires time and investment, that raising children is time-consuming, is gaining momentum in an age where everything is measured, evaluated according to cost/benefit calculations. This is, for example, aimed at changing the attitude of some young women towards motherhood. This was shown by the Ifop survey conducted in 2022, according to which 30% of women of reproductive age stated that they do not want children. Of course, there are many reasons. eco-anxiety, delay in the age of entry into professional life, etc. But also the fear that it is an obstacle to personal development.

Help from associations

Several countries, led by Japan, have put these themes at the heart of their public policies, creating ministries of solitude. In France, we prefer to talk about “solidarity”. “Governments refer these questions to the medico-social world or to the associative field,” the 2023 study noted. Several associations, such as Les Hyper Voisins, founded six years ago, are determined to shake up politics. Famous for hosting a huge, giant dinner for 1,000 people in the 14th arrondissement of Paris every year, which was even reported in The New York Times, it renews social ties on a regional scale. “We imagine what living together in the cities of tomorrow could look like,” explains Patrick Bernard, its founder. A laboratory of the relational city, in a context where inflation, geopolitical and economic tensions combine to further close the city and our lives.

(1) From chosen solitude to suffering solitude, an investigation “sociosis»By Adrien Broch, François Miquet-Marty and Lucia Socias, Jean-Jaures Editions, 32 pages, July 2023, to read at institut-viavoice.com.