Issue 01 - Loneliness

CLOSING NOTE: CAROLINE FITZGERALD
As my understanding of loneliness and its impact on our health
and well-being has deepened over the past three years, so has
my appreciation of the gravity of psychologist Chris Peterson’s
simple but powerful statement, “other people matter.” Other people
matter, not only to our survival, but as irreplaceable contributors
to the precious, joyful experiences in life. Alongside learning to live
in harmony with our natural environment, there is nothing more
important right now than learning how to connect with our fellow
humans in a rapidly changing social and cultural world. Adding
urgency to the call is the troubling trend of increasing levels of
loneliness among teens and young adults in the U.S. As the stories
in this zine evidence, loneliness is not the same as being alone.
Gen Z students suffer more loneliness than any other generation
that we know of, but Gen Z students are not to blame. Loneliness is
a state that cannot be explained by one root cause, andthe fact that
it is on the rise across the entire population points to the influence
of social, cultural,and environmental factors. Personally, I think
bringing youth and experts together to work on and test solutions
that address loneliness is the way forward. By learning what works,
we can not only improve the health and quality of life for people who
experience loneliness, but we can also contribute new knowledge
to better understand its psychological and behavioral drivers.
At Hopelab, we’re working with students to design a mobile app
that empowers them to build the social connections they want
and need to be successful in college. You can check it out at
www.heynod.com. It’s not quite ready yet, but you can sign up, and
when it is, you can use it and tell us what you think.
In the meantime, you can take the enhanced awareness you have
around loneliness and turn it into motivation to invest in your own
social connections. I’m certain if you do, you’ll find that, indeed,
other people matter.
Caroline Fitzgerald
Project Lead, Strategy and Design
Hopelab