The most highly educated Americans have a much wider social circle than those with no college education, research finds. — AFP
Feelings of loneliness are becoming increasingly widespread in the United States, to the point where one in three Americans say they experience them frequently, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
Young people seem particularly affected by this phenomenon, especially those who don't have college degrees.
On the face of it, going to college is all about getting a degree that will then help you enter the job market. But that's not the only advantage of higher education.
A recent report by the Survey Center on American Life suggests that college graduates have a richer social life than young people of the same age who stopped studying after high school. The proof is in the figures: 24% of Americans with a high school education or less claim to have no close friends, compared to just 10% of college graduates.
Generally speaking, the most highly educated Americans have a much wider social circle than their peers with no college education. A third of those questioned by the Survey Center on American Life say they have at least six close friends. Only 17% of respondents with a high school education or less say the same.
Unfortunately, this trend is not new. "Roughly three decades ago, Americans with more formal education did not have larger social circles. In 1990, nearly half (49%) of Americans with a high school degree or less reported having at least six close friends – a slightly greater share than those with a college degree – while only 3% reported having no close friends," reads the Survey Center on American Life report.
A public health issue
The causes of what some in the US are calling a “loneliness epidemic” are manifold, from the ubiquity of social networks to the rise of individualism, to the detriment of community life. The erosion of religious practice in the country also plays a role in this phenomenon.
As people age, it's generally harder to make friends. You don't necessarily meet fewer people, but you don't make friends as frequently. As adults, we often have less time to invest in friendships.
However, in research published in 2018 in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, University of Kansas professor Jeffrey Hall estimates that it would take 90 hours for two people to consider themselves friends. More than 200 hours would be needed for them to feel truly close. Few adults are prepared to invest that much time in their social circle, especially if they have a demanding professional life (high workload, several jobs etc.).
Yet friendship is far from a luxury. Several studies have shown that friendships help maintain good mental and physical health. In particular, being able to count on those close to you at a difficult time helps to reduce stress, which in turn helps to prevent stress-related pathologies in the long term.
Conversely, loneliness is associated with greater vulnerability to a number of diseases and conditions, including cancer, stroke and cardiovascular problems. In research published in 2015 in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, researchers at Brigham Young University even estimate that people who report feeling lonely are more likely to die prematurely.
In this context, it's easy to see why Americans' loneliness is a cause for concern. Researchers at the Survey Center on American Life fear that, in time, having friends will become “a privilege reserved for the college-educated, rather than an ordinary feature of American life.” – AFP Relaxnews
