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But I think that's the point. A society can be extremely individualistic or more collectivist. Loneliness is an affliction of individualistic societies. And

But I think that's the point. A society can be extremely individualistic or more collectivist. Loneliness is an affliction of individualistic societies. And of course there is a spectrum to this. A common refrain heard in Russia when it switched from Communism to Capitalism back in the 1990s was that people stopped talking to their neighbors. Before the switch everyone was equally poor so there was no envy. There was little pressure to work hard, so people had more time to socialize. The change was abrupt enough that everyone noticed.

keiferski 3y ago
But the loneliness issue is more of a recent phenomenon. In the past, Americans worked even more hours - but they had more social interaction and less family fragmentation at work and home. I think you could blame the loneliness issue on excessive individualism, but I wouldn’t blame it on competitive, hard-working culture. Especially because there are many places in the US which absolutely do not have a competitive culture yet still suffer from loneliness.
- riehwvfbk 3y ago
  Those places have that "frontier spirit", "trespassers will be shot again" signs, and houses that are at least a mile apart. I think they are self-selecting for people who like loneliness.