Solutions

Societal awareness

·      Loneliness a bodily function, just like hunger

·      1/3 of people in the western world are lonely - https://www.statista.com/statistics/1222815/loneliness-among-adults-by-country/

·      It has a major impact on individuals, organisations and society (can lead to polarisation)

·      How to spot the signs i.e.. awareness of loneliness loop – Quote from Brene Brown – “When we feel isolated, disconnected, and lonely, we try to protect ourselves.  In that mode, we want to connect but our brain is attempting to override connection with self protection.  That means less empathy, more defensiveness, more numbing, and less sleeping……Unchecked loneliness fuels continued loneliness by keeping us afraid to reach out”.  Key research on the loneliness loop; Louise C. Hawkley, Ph.D., John T. Cacioppo, Ph.D., Loneliness Matters: A Theoretical and Empirical Review of Consequences and Mechanisms, Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Volume 40, Issue 2, October 2010, Pages 218–227, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-010-9210-8

Individual Change

·      Brain Health – Exercise and Rest (sleep / meditation / quiet time) can help reorient reward centres to more healthy behaviour.

·      Connect with yourself

Self-compassion

1)    Recommended meditation (Chris Flack teaching a meditation via the free app Insight Timer) – https://insighttimer.com/chrisflack/guided-meditations/self-tonglen-compassion-considering-ourselves-with-two-aspects

2)    Recommended learning (retreats) 

UK https://www.samyeling.org/ -

Portugal https://www.newlifeportugal.com/

Ireland https://www.dzogchenbeara.org/

3)    Recommended learning (books) – Conor Creighton – The Truth about Love https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0717194000/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_T7HNYR437G3ZM57NHG12?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

4) Recommended apps - DailyHaloha is a great app to encourage reflection and empathy https://dailyhaloha.com/

·      Be kind to yourself

If you feel lonely find someone to talk to about it. Remember you are not alone, many people feel lonely, if no-one is available to chat then;

a) if in the UK, lots of resources listed at https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/feeling-lonely/

b) if in Ireland goto www.text50808.ie (a free, anonymous, 24/7 messaging service providing everything from a calming chat to immediate support).

c) If in Portugal please goto www.telefone-amizade.pt/site/ or call 22 832 35 35

d) if in Canada, the Red Cross offer a program called "Friendly Calls" https://www.redcross.ca/how-we-help/community-health-services-in-canada/friendly-calls-program

If seeking professional help, research suggests that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a good place to start.

·      Individual change – Self Worth

If you think your friend /colleague is lonely

Try not to ask them if they want help

Ask them to help you

·      Self Worth – A framework; volunteering

UK www.doit.life / Ireland www.volunteering.ie / Canada https://volunteer.ca/

Portugal https://www.portugalvoluntario.pt/cs2i/homepage?dswid=6953

·      Self Worth – A framework; community groups (meetup.com is a good resource and below are some examples)

Genwell https://genwellproject.org/

Red Tent Movement (Women) https://redtentdirectory.com/

Men’s Sheds Ireland https://menssheds.ie/ UK https://menssheds.org.uk/, Canada https://menssheds.ca/ 
Please email hello@unplughq.com to add your community group to the list! 

·      Digital Habits

Social Media impact on mental health – Meier, Adrian & Reinecke, Leonard. (2021). Computer-Mediated Communication, Social Media, and Mental Health: A Conceptual and Empirical Meta-Review. Communication Research. 48. 1182–1209. 10.1177/0093650220958224.

·      iPhone Effect study

Misra, S., Cheng, L., Genevie, J., & Yuan, M. (2016). The iPhone Effect: The Quality of In-Person Social Interactions in the Presence of Mobile Devices. Environment and Behavior, 48(2), 275–298. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916514539755

·      Increase friction with tech – Have an “UnPlug Zone” for small periods of time in certain rooms. For example, no devices in certain meetings.

·      Decrease friction with humans –  Try to remove all friction eg even airpods when walking passed others to enable a more open connection.

UnPlug has a Digital Resilience assessment available here (check your organisation's ability to cope with increasing digital demands)

Organisational Change

·      Organisational framework for change; Importance of “togetherness” in company culture.  For example,

If you build it, they might come e.g. free food in the canteen

If they build it, they will come e.g. cooking classes for teams each quarter

·      Firefighters that make food and eat together outperform colleagues

Kniffin, K. M., Wansink, B., Devine, C. M., & Sobal, J. (2015). Eating Together at the Firehouse: How Workplace Commensality Relates to the Performance of Firefighters. Human performance, 28(4), 281–306. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959285.2015.1021049

·      Encourage Collaboration  – Atlassian Performance Review based on Collaboration

https://qz.com/work/1671163/atlassians-new-performance-review-categories-weed-out-brilliant-jerks/

·      Encourage Kindness – Cisco People Deal

https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmoorhead/2018/08/08/ciscos-people-deal-exemplifies-its-cutting-edge-commitment-to-employees/

·      Importance of weak ties

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200701-why-your-weak-tie-friendships-may-mean-more-than-you-think#:~:text=She%20found%20that%20participants%20with,a%20greater%20sense%20of%20belonging.t

Q&A

Andrii stayed on at the end and had a question about ADHD and whether multi-tasking makes makes it worse.  As mentioned, it's very subjective and the research is still quite new but it is likely ADHD and multi-tasking aren't a great match.  Here's a great article in which Gloria Mark talks about it; https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jan/01/is-modern-life-ruining-our-powers-of-concentration