The Antidote to Loneliness Is Good Social Nutrition
Humans need a balanced social diet of a few meaningful conversations and many casual interactions
Balance is a celebrated, yet elusive, concept. In work, relationships, hobbies, and even what we choose to put into our bodies, we strive to strike the right proportion of give and take that leaves us feeling fulfilled and not overextended. The idea of balance also applies to social interactions.
In 2019, Jeffrey Hall, a professor of communication studies at the University of Kansas likened human social networks to nutrition. A healthy social diet, he found in a study, consists of both a variety of interactions — from close friends and family to acquaintances — and time spent alone. People tend to be less lonely when they have a couple of high-quality conversations a day with their closest connections (like a deep heart-to-heart or a jovial laugh-filled gab) in addition to a variety of more surface-level chats with strangers or people seen out and about. Voluntary alone time is also crucial to well-being. Making space to reflect and recharge is essential.
Maintaining a nutritious social diet has proven difficult this past year. Those who live with family or roommates likely strengthened these already sturdy bonds. Close connections continued to…
