I've been interested lately in distinguishing isolation from loneliness. Isolation is typically thought of as physical separation, while loneliness is a perception of truly being alone. You can have many situations where people are surround by others (NOT isolated) yet are experiencing very high levels of loneliness. And vice versa, where individuals work from home, perhaps, but don't feel lonely at all.
Social media is not helping this problem. "Likes" do not equal friends. And the obsession of seeing only the best of what others have to offer on social media makes us feel worse about ourselves.
This is an interesting study out of the journal Psychogeriatrics finding that loneliness is most prevalent in one's late 20s, mid 50s, and late 80s. What is depressing is that overall loneliness is quite prevalent no matter the age.
Managers might think they are solving problems of loneliness in organizations when they provide various tools for workers to connect with one another. But what they are really doing is solving problems of isolation.
Comments