A lot of people find it comforting to be on on the phone, say, or on audio only. And so i actually think sometimes phone or just aut audio only, is actually a more intimate form of conversation for people who struggle with social cues. There's also an a anecdotal evidence from a teachers kindergarten teachers, we call it in the u k, i don't if it's ses amyet, but they're seeing am. So young, young children, children aged four five am, coming in school with noticeably lesser am face to face socializing skill.
Author and economist Noreena Hertz of University College London talks about her book, The Lonely Century, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Hertz blames social media and the individualist, pro-capitalism worldviews of leaders like Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan for the rise in loneliness in the developed world. Russ suggests some alternative causes. The result is a lively conversation about understanding and explaining social trends.