My thesis is so close to being filed, but sadly for you, I don't think it will mean I'll shut up about loneliness. I wrote this honker because there are still so many widely shared misconceptions and well-intended solutions that can just make things worse.

The #1 thing I hope good writing on the topic can do, is help educate people on the difference between transient, situational loneliness experienced by say, everyday, normal people who end up isolated inside for weeks away from their typically robust social network—

and chronic loneliness, which typically has nothing to do with frequency of social contact, and will not be helped by increased social interaction or really any kind of social intervention, no matter how well suited those solutions are for those experiencing the situational kind.

Understanding these distinctions is the first step towards actually helping people. Signed, someone with a lifetime of often excruciating experience knowing the difference.

P.S. None of this is to ignore the real pain of social isolation and the devastating mental health effects of mass loneliness. It's just to say that there's a great framework for dealing with that—the solutions are tangible. We can solve for that.