Abstract: Loneliness as a public health concern has exploded in recent years. Recognition of its widespread prevalence and presumed recency have led to declarations that a “loneliness epidemic” faces industrialized populations. Changes to certain aspects of modern life—fewer face-to-face interactions, more time spent alone, more people living by themselves—are thought to exacerbate loneliness, and imply that it may be a relatively recent phenomenon, tied to capitalism and the market economy. Recent meta-analyses, however, suggest that adults in lower- and middle-income countries also experience loneliness, despite living in socially embedded contexts. Still, most research on loneliness and its behavioral and health correlates focuses primarily on those people living in higher-income countries. In this talk, I will discuss recent work examining loneliness, the social environment, and health in Tsimane and Moseten forager-horticulturalists of Bolivia. This work challenges the concept that loneliness necessarily results from processes of the market economy, and suggests that loneliness is not confined to industrialized settings but likely represents a shared aspect of human experience.

Zoom link for those unable to attend in person:

https://ucla.zoom.us/j/94308730584?pwd=0YGsaJFEdLd5cMsOhTh465nwJubz9o.1

Meeting ID: 943 0873 0584

Passcode: 308291