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 fr

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.