So Lonely - Our Desire for Community - And What Drives Us Apart

"Inspiring and original."-Johann Hari, New York Times bestselling author of Lost Connections and Stolen Focus

A deeply personal, philosophical meditation on the global phenomenon of loneliness.

Loneliness increases your chance of early death by 26 percent, places your body under extreme physical stress, can lead to depression and anxiety, and is so pervasive that it's been recognized as an epidemic in the United States. But what defines loneliness, and is it true that we are lonelier now than we have ever been?

Simultaneously intimate and impeccably researched, So Lonely recounts acclaimed Norwegian writer Hilde Østby's own questions about and struggles with the condition, and her many conversations with researchers, artists, and journalists who have looked closely at the myriad faces of loneliness and the ways it can be overcome. She speaks with experts in neuroscience, psychology, and sociology about the factors that cause us to be lonely: from racism, t oxic masculinity, poverty, and violence, to technology, conspiracy theories, and trauma. She also turns to literature, including the Moomin novels by revered Norwegian children's author Tove Jansson. As she unmasks the many faces of loneliness, she also examines its impact, returning to events like Norway's 2011 Utøya terrorist attack as examples of collective traumas whose causes and effects are permeated with loneliness.

For readers of The Lonely City and Languishing, So Lonely is a moving, essential book about the costs to all when some are pushed out, and also about the incredible capabilities of human beings-how resilient we are, and how the restorative power of community allows us to thrive.

Inhaltsverzeichnis:

Chapter 1. Why loneliness is the hunger of the soul, and why we cannot bear to be abandoned

Chapter 2. Why the eyes really are the mirror of the soul

Chapter 3. Why having a good laugh doesn't always prolong your life

Chapter 4. Why it is so important to understand each other

Chapter 5. Why community can be dangerous

Chapter 6. Why it is so difficult to trust each other

Chapter 7. Why we can yearn so badly for a hug

Chapter 8. I encounter the Groke for the last time

Rezension:

"A compelling and humane examination of the societal and cultural forces that drive people away from each other and toward extremists and conspiracism."
-Mike Rothschild, author of The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything and Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories

"Loneliness is one of the most important and difficult topics of our time, and this book is a beautiful meditation on it, taking us from The Moomins to the far right. Inspiring and original."
-Johann Hari, author of Lost Connections: Why You're Depressed and How to Find Hope and Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention--and How to Think Deeply Again

"A riveting exploration of the realm of loneliness - and an artful guide to ways out of it."
-Aage Borchgrevink, author of A Norwegian Tragedy