A recent study has shown that pet parrots, when taught to use video calls to communicate with one another, experience reduced loneliness. By providing the birds with a tablet for making video calls, researchers observed an increase in social behaviors such as preening, singing, and play. The parrots were allowed to choose their “friends” to call via the touchscreen tablet, and it was discovered that the most frequently called birds were the most popular choices among the parrots.
A survey in 2021 found 36% of…
A survey in 2021 found 36% of all Americans- including 61% of young adults and 51% of mothers with young children – feel “serious loneliness.” Loneliness has increased substantially since the outbreak of the global pandemic.
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My Girlfriend in Walk
For those who would like to hold someone’s hand as they walk around, but can’t find anyone human who will oblige, engineers at Gifu University in Japan have invented the “My Girlfriend in Walk”. It’s a robotic hand covered in soft, skin-like gel that will grip your hand. Plus, it emits the scent of a […]
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UK has started Minister…
UK has started Minister of Loneliness, currently held by Tracey Crouch, after growing consensus that loneliness is a public health concern.
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A New Study Finds Thousands of Senior Citizens Go a Whole Week Without Conversation
Aging often means a slower lifestyle due to retirement, mobility issues, and loss of family members and friends. It can also mean loneliness.
A recent study of the elderly in the United Kingdom turned up some alarming results.
Hundreds of thousands of people are spending an entire week without speaking to anyone at all.
Photo Credit: Pixnio
The survey of 1,896 seniors, 65 years and older in the UK showed 22 percent would go a week talking to no more than 3 people. If you translate that percentage across the country, 2.6 million of the elderly do not have daily contact with another human being.
Researchers then said a distressing 225,000 will not have one single conversation with another person within a normal week.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, made this statement:
A friendly “hello” or “how are you?” is something most of us take for granted – it’s just part of every day life, but these latest figures show that hundreds of thousands of older people in the UK will spend today and the rest of this week alone, with no one to share even a few simple words with.
The study also revealed 36 percent of seniors experienced feelings of loneliness as they have gotten older. When asked if loneliness kept them from leaving their houses, 12 percent answered yes.
Photo Credit: Pixnio
Almost half of the seniors surveyed (40 percent) said they would feel more confident in leaving home if they were friends with some of their neighbors.
More than half (54 percent) said a brief conversation with someone in the neighborhood would improve their outlook. And many said having someone smile at them or start a friendly conversation would make them happier.
Abrahams’ organization partnered with Cadbury Dairy Milk for the survey on elderly loneliness. “Loneliness can affect your health, your wellbeing and the way you see yourself – it can make you feel invisible and forgotten,” she said.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
An additional study of 2000 people ages 16-45 showed a little more than half (55 percent) worried about their own levels of loneliness when they are older. Two-thirds said they were willing to reach out to elderly people.
To that end, Age UK and Cadbury started a campaign called Donate Your Words to encourage younger adults and teens to start conversations with the older people of their communities.
A simple chat or a kind acknowledgment of someone walking down the street or standing in a line is simple, costs nothing and is guaranteed to brighten the day of a lonely elderly person.
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Most lonely people don’t lack social skills. They just…
Most lonely people don’t lack social skills. They just find themselves in lonely situations. However, loneliness can create a behavioral trap whereby lonely people focus on “I want this person to like me” in social situations, making themselves uninteresting to others in the process.
Sammy Nahas, a 38-year-old electrician from Staten Island, has spent…
Sammy Nahas, a 38-year-old electrician from Staten Island, has spent over $100,000 on Christmas decorations in the last three years. This year alone, he estimates spending around $60,000. The season isn’t all cheery and bright for Nahas. After finalizing a divorce three years ago, he said that Christmas Day actually became the most depressing day of the year for him. But once it’s over, he starts planning for next year.