The Importance of Friendships

In a recent podcast of plain English, Derek Thompson explores with economist Bryce Ward the fact that America is going through a friendship recession. Starting in 2013, well before the pandemic, people from every demographic, young and old, male and female, white and non-white, metro and rural, began to spend more time alone. In 2021, the average American spent nearly 10 more hours per week alone, as compared to 2013. Loneliness can have the health equivalent of smoking more than a pack of cigarettes a day.