The Lonely American: Drifting Apart in the Twenty-First Century

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By Jacqueline Olds, M.D., and Richard S. Schwartz, M.D.

In today’s world, it is more acceptable to be depressed than to be lonely – yet loneliness appears to be the inevitable byproduct of our frenetic contemporary lifestyles.

Indeed, surveys indicate that nearly one in four Americans now lives alone (single head of household) and one out of four Americans also talked to no one about something of importance to them during the last six months.

Representing cutting-edge research on the physiological and cognitive effects of social exclusion and emerging work in the neurobiology of attachment, this book uncovers the startling, sobering ripple effects of loneliness in areas as varied as physical health, children’s emotional problems, substance abuse, and even global warming.

Surprising new studies tell a grim truth about social isolation: being disconnected diminishes happiness, health, and longevity; increases aggression; and correlates with increasing rates of violent crime. Here’s the book that brings loneliness – a very real and little-discussed social epidemic with frightening consequences – out into the open. 228 pages. Hardcover. 2009.

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