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I think something not measured here but potentially important is the amount of acquaintance contact people have. If you imagine living in a time before high-sp

I think something not measured here but potentially important is the amount of acquaintance contact people have. If you imagine living in a time before high-speed travel and big cities, the people you interacted with day-to-day were basically the same throughout your life. Maybe you weren't "friends" with these people, but just in order to live your life, you would inevitably be bumping into people that you had known in some capacity for years. Nowadays when we go shopping or for a haircut or whatever, we are mostly interacting with basically anonymous people that we are unlikely to remember even if we do ever see them again. The level of loneliness we can manage to achieve now seems quite a bit higher than when no matter what you do, just to get food to eat, you're going to have to go see someone who've you known for a decade and make small talk. Probably not saying this well, but when I imagine day-to-day life in a small village, this seems like one of the most significant differences. It seems like it would be hard to ever go a day not interacting with other people that you knew in some capacity. Now it's so easy you might not even notice when you do it.

protonbob 4y ago
I think even in a larger town this is viable to see plenty of people that you know. Part of the problem is the car centered infrastructure in America that makes it impossible to walk places and makes it seem normal to have to travel 20 miles to get groceries or a haircut.
- woweoe 4y ago
  He is right in terms of major cities in Europe. I grew up in a small-mid sized town and I still get surprised when I meet someone I know, let alone cities the size of Atlanta.
- jacooper 4y ago
  But the trend also largely applies to Europe, which has a more walkable infrastructure. So I don't think its the only reason.
hypertele-Xii 4y ago
> Nowadays when we go shopping or for a haircut or whatever, we are mostly interacting with basically anonymous people that we are unlikely to remember even if we do ever see them again. That's your choice. I shop at the same small businesses food market every time and see the same faces year after year exchanging life anecdotes. I see the shopkeeps there more often than I see my actual friends.

protonbob 4y ago

I think even in a larger town this is viable to see plenty of people that you know. Part of the problem is the car centered infrastructure in America that makes it impossible to walk places and makes it seem normal to have to travel 20 miles to get groceries or a haircut.

woweoe 4y ago
He is right in terms of major cities in Europe. I grew up in a small-mid sized town and I still get surprised when I meet someone I know, let alone cities the size of Atlanta.
jacooper 4y ago
But the trend also largely applies to Europe, which has a more walkable infrastructure. So I don't think its the only reason.

hypertele-Xii 4y ago

> Nowadays when we go shopping or for a haircut or whatever, we are mostly interacting with basically anonymous people that we are unlikely to remember even if we do ever see them again. That's your choice. I shop at the same small businesses food market every time and see the same faces year after year exchanging life anecdotes. I see the shopkeeps there more often than I see my actual friends.