No, The Lack Of 3rd Spaces Isn’t Why We’re Lonely
Almost every town has a park or a library. Let’s not pretend otherwise.
I used to have a friend named Jerry*. Jerry would do things that would hurt his career, only to come back and whine that he was fired from the latest venue he’d get into. Jerry was a person who was the reason for his own problems.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about Jerry as I pondered the Loneliness Epidemic. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, around half of all Americans reported feeling significant levels of loneliness in 2023.
It’s an upward trend that really became noticeable during the Pandemic Lockdown of 2020. Every year since 2016, loneliness started to come further and further to the forefront until its no longer able to be ignored.
Loneliness has been linked to health problems, mental health decline, as well as cognitive decline. Most people have mentioned feeling lonely and socially anxious.
A common belief is that a lack of third spaces is the main reason for the loneliness.
Full disclosure: I believed this for a while, too. I fully admit that there is something to be said about free spaces where congregating with others is a…
