How Do We Prevent Adolescent Loneliness?

Researcher Marlies Maes from Belgium sat down with me to talk about a group we often don’t associate with loneliness: adolescents.

The thing that’s surprised her most throughout her research is how very physical the effects of being socially deprived can be. We know it’s a painful feeling—but the data on how unhealthy it is for our bodies is now overwhelming. And how can we allow any kid to undergo these effects?

Maes separates loneliness into two camps: the social and emotional varieties. One, she explains, is when we crave closeness to people, and the other is when we yearn to be part of a group. In this talk, she goes through other distinctions: for example, how we ought to treat the occasional feeling of isolation versus chronic loneliness.