At the societal level this trend has been happening for decades, and not just in the west. It’s a global trend correlated with the degree of integration into the “global machine.” This machine commodifies and extracts. It extracts more money if you’re lonely. If you’re isolated. If community is replaced with cold market exchange. If all your needs and wants are solved with a purchase or a monetized distraction.

Yet even when the system makes it hard to imagine anything else, we’re never too far from our true nature. We need only take a step towards a neighbor and carve a space, no matter how small, separate from the machine. That’s the only way out.

Being happy with yourself and being OK that you're not advancing anymore (you're just happy and don't have anything to pursue), or raising a family. The only two ways.

Loneliness is bad, but other people are worse.

I don't believe in a 'loneliness epidemic'. Where is it? What do these words mean to individuals?

I do think there is a 'false expectation' ie delusion. Ie, after years of forced hyper-socialisation (school, work) and cultural ideas of friendship (Friends), architecture that stacks and packs people, the expectation that people hold of themselves and their relationships bears little relation to their natural, untrained selves. I could even argue that the loneliness expectation is the reverse - there is no meaningful quiet space for individuals. The very idea of being introspective is a problem to be addressed.

What I think we have is 'broken socialisation'. Nothing about human socialisation is natural.

Ban cell phones.

I would suggest for the crowd here: tech meetups, even online ones and communities will connect you to people with your interests.

Another thing that you'll likely find in your area is a chess club.

Maybe you won't love the chess itself, but it's an excuse to hang out with people.

Another one is volunteering work. Elderly, dogs, etc, many communities need help.

In my village I have started a "clean up" program where average citizens take few bags a picker and we clean areas of our village.

Most of people are "this is the job of the garbage collectors, the mayor should do it", so what? It also costs money, and nobody will do as carefully as the people living there.

Even if 95% of my village won't care few will and we make an impact and socialize, etc and more start taking part of it.

loneliness is not really transmissible like an epidemic. If two lonely people get together, they aren’t lonely anymore.

Your problem statement is problematic.

I felt lonely most of my life. Social anxiety didn't help. Therapy did.

Now I build a life focused on that very much. I go to work at wework, talk to people *everywhere*, joined a bunch of run clubs and just prioritize social stuff. If I don't ask people, walk up to them and say hi, nothing's gonna happen. Reach out to people, say hi, do stuff. Loneliness correlates with low agency I think. Say yes to stuff. Ask people to join for coworking, for going to the gym, a run. Whatever. Go out of your way to increase your social circle. That simple.

And get off your fucking screen and go outside, touch some grass. The internet doesn't help.

Lobby to shut down social media that doesn't encourage real life interaction. I honestly think things will keep getting worse until we unplug them.