With the holiday season upon us, it’s important to combat the loneliness that many Americans face every day. It is often felt more intensely when you are expected to be surrounded by the warm embrace of family and friends. And, increasingly, that warm embrace isn’t happening. Americans are spending more time at home — alone — than they did 20 years ago, according to one Recent analysis Federal data. The numbers rose dramatically during the pandemic and never recovered.
Across the board, Americans have shied away from activities that involve or require community. Attendance at religious services has dropped dramatically. Two decades ago, more than 40 percent of US adults attended religious services every week or almost every week. Now, only 30 percent of Americans say the same. According to Gallup polling. Other metrics of civic engagement also took off: According to An AmeriCorps studyOnly 20 percent of Gen Z give their time to help others, compared to nearly 30 percent of Gen X.
Loneliness has been on the steady march for decades, and one man watches its progress: Robert Putnamis a professor of public policy at Harvard University and the author of 15 books, including the 2001 bestseller Bowling Alone: The Decline and Revival of American Community. The book was based on a simple premise: Once upon a time, Americans joined a bowling league. Now they are bowling by themselves. In the book, Putnam extends the metaphor to speak to all of our social connections, saying that their loss speaks to the decline of our democracy.
This half-century of civil decline is chronicled in a documentary about Putnam’s life to be released in 2023, called Join or die. We wanted to hear more about the importance of a culture that embraces community activities, so we reached out to the man who himself inspired thousands of clubs. Noel King talks to Putnam – though he prefers to be called Bob – because Today, explained To discuss whether “bowling alone” has become more intense, the role technology plays and how to reverse the trend. Below is a portion of their conversation, edited for length and clarity. There’s more in the full podcast, so take a listen Today, explained on Apple Podcasts, Spotifyor Wherever you find podcasts.
Noel King
Volunteering is good for the person doing the volunteering, right? Is that a reason to volunteer?
Robert Putnam
There’s a lot of evidence that if you volunteer to help someone else, you’re probably getting more out of it than they are, because there are all kinds of physiological changes. People are happier after volunteering than if you didn’t volunteer. It’s a reason to volunteer. You don’t have to choose between reasons. In writing books Bowling aloneI talked about the consequences of our connections with other people, our actual personal connections and our connections through political organizations. And that, as a community where people are more connected to each other, the whole community functions better, not just the two individuals involved in a given exchange.
Let me give an example from education. If I, as a parent, get involved in my child’s school, if I join the PTA or if I volunteer in the classroom, that will be good for my child. But surprisingly, my involvement had a greater impact on the success and happiness of other children at school. in the book Bowling alonewhich was written [about] 25 years ago, I talked about the decline of these connections, the decline of what I called social capital. And I said, “Oh my God, if this continues, it’s going to be bad for American democracy. You know, we’re going to have more polarized politics,” etc. And the reason there’s a new wave of interest in my work now is because I was proven right. Been. More accurate than I thought. In case you haven’t noticed, American politics is in a pickle right now, and the main reason is that over the last 30 or 40 years, we’ve become less and less connected to each other as a country — my In terms, With less and less social capital.
Noel King
What information does it carry? Because it seems we are more isolated now, and it felt like it was when you wrote Bowling alone 25 years ago. Is it true?
Robert Putnam
yes At one point there was a debate, a thought that maybe we don’t really need to be in anyone’s presence. Whether we see them on Zoom or social media will be just as good as actual social connections. For quite some time now, there has been evidence that Facebook is not as good as bowling leagues. That is, you won’t get the same benefits from connecting with people through social media as you would from actually connecting with them face-to-face. what is this Evidence showed. I can tell you when public opinion about it has changed. It was November 25th, 2020, at the height of the pandemic, and everyone in America realized that hugging grandma wasn’t actually the same as watching grandma on Zoom. And it doesn’t.
Noel King
People who otherwise can’t leave the house join the Reddit community; People have WhatsApp chat groups with their relatives in other countries. I text my 14-year-old niece, who I don’t see very often. I heard you say that technology has not been good for us and I want to make sure we are sure about that.
Robert Putnam
I am not saying that electronic connectivity is of no use to us. I have many grandchildren and I am texting or emailing them every day. I’m not saying that social media or other forms of electronic connection aren’t literally good, I’m saying they’re not as good as face-to-face bonding.
Noel King
So if, currently, we are at a low point for social connectivity, what has brought us here?
Robert Putnam
At the beginning of the 20th century, around 1900, America was very polarized politically. Our politics was tribal. We were very unequal. There was a large economic gap between the rich living in New York’s Upper East Side and the poor immigrants living in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. We were very socially isolated. We had connections on the farm, where we knew other people, whether the farm was in Iowa or southern Italy, but we all moved away. There was a huge movement from the countryside to the city, and we didn’t know our new neighbors, and so we were very socially isolated. And actually, we were very self-centered culturally. We were “me society” instead of “we society”. We didn’t think we had much in common. And then the beginning of 1910 – none of these things are very accurate – but around 1910, all these things started to change and they went in a different, better direction for a half-century or so. So from roughly 1910 to roughly 1965 or 1970, each year we became less politically polarized, less socially segregated, less unequal or more equal, and more of a “we” society.
So we went from an “I” society around 1900 to a “we” society around, roughly speaking, 1965. The movement of the 1960s – which you will no doubt remember, [but] I remember that period—it was the culmination of a half-century-long increase in political participation, increased connection with other people, increased cooperation across party lines, increased equality. And I have to say, it’s about time I started voting in person. So you might think that I personally brought these issues to America in the mid-60s. All these lines have moved and over the next half century, so far, every year we have become more socially isolated, more politically isolated, more unequal. We lost everything.
Noel King
Can it work to join clubs, volunteer, engage in personal selling, “It’ll make you feel better, I promise”? And the side effect is that it’s good for society, it’s good for democracy – but if you’re going to do it, do it for yourself? Think of it as a form of self-care.
Robert Putnam
Risks to your life expectancy from social isolation A major risk factor for premature death As for smoking, if you smoke and you have a choice, should you smoke? Or should you join a club? By all means, join the club! There are huge personal benefits from connecting with other people, including joining. The most important reason is that you should connect with other people. You will add years to your life.
Noel King
You’re going to live longer. And also you are going to save American society.
Robert Putnam
However, you are also going to save American democracy. That’s right.
