Loneliness as “contagious” — still concerned
My last Google News search for loneliness and “contagion” turned up more than 350 posts. I find this bizarre. Why is this story—which is, fundamentally, just an academic study—getting so much press?
I repeat what I said earlier: there are countless loneliness studies out there, some of which (such as those linking loneliness to early death) contain much more striking findings.
The term the paper actually uses most heavily is “induction,” not “contagion.” Maybe we can all start saying “induction” instead.
Note that I’m not saying the paper itself is wrong. It’s actually fascinating. I’m just baffled by how it’s getting reported in the media.
This entry was posted on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 at 10:52 am and is filed under the category Effects of Loneliness.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
One Response to “Loneliness as “contagious” — still concerned”
ADD A COMMENT
Your name will be published with your comments. If you do not want your name used, simply type in Anonymous or the alias of your choosing. I'm fine with people using made up names. Feel free to be creative!
Emily, It just goes to show that we are desperate for a reason for our loneliness- a scientific reason, as opposed to being the one who is responsible. Because no one has your book to read and understand about loneliness, all they have is the advice that maybe loneliness was given to them by someone else. To me, this is a very intriguing idea. That is why it is going all over the place. We need info and solutions and help, and all that we get is the idea that it was given to us by someone else.