Loneliness and Depression
Loneliness in the US
In 2024, approximately 20% of U.S. adults are experiencing daily loneliness, as indicated by a recent Gallup survey. This translates to an estimated 52 million individuals feeling significant loneliness in the United States. Is loneliness and social isolation a a time bomb in Sweden/Scandinavia? – Quora
30% of adults say they have experienced feelings of loneliness at least once a week over the past year, while 10% say they are lonely every day Loneliness, social isolation, and health complaints among older people: A population-based study from the “Good Aging in Skåne (GÅS)” project – PMC
Loneliness in Europe
Social isolation is a problem in Europe: 18% of its citizens, the equivalent of 75 million people, are socially isolated. In the UK, statistics show that 14% of the population feels lonely all the time. Additionally, 36% of the population is too embarrassed to admit to feeling lonely Time Banking – P2P Foundation
Approximately 57% of young Europeans between the ages of 18 and 35 are moderately or even severely lonely National trends in loneliness and social isolation in older adults: an examination of subgroup trends over three decades in Sweden – PMC
Depression Rates
More than 18% of U.S. adults report depression, with rates doubling among young adults since 2017 Psychiatry.org – New APA Poll: One in Three Americans Feels Lonely Every Week
Over one-third of women (36.7%) now report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime, compared with 20.4% of men in the United States, with a 5.9 percent depression rate. Loneliness Statistics
Social Poverty Leads to Prolixity in West
A simple question started this journey. Why do American YouTubers repeat themselves so much?
I noticed something odd. American YouTubers ramble endlessly. They circle back to the same ideas repeatedly. But when I watched Indian amateur YouTubers, they spoke directly. No endless repetition. No verbal padding.
They say the same thing ten different ways. Indian creators don’t do this. They get to the point and move on. They are all amateur speakers and not professionals yet behaviour is so different from western counterpart. At first, I thought it was about communication skills. Then I realized something deeper.
Experts repeat themselves purposefully. They signal when they’re restating something. “Let me put this differently.” Amateur speakers repeat unconsciously. They’re not confident their message got through. But American YouTubers aren’t just lacking confidence. They’re starving for connection.
The Cultural Shift
I remembered old Hollywood movies from the 1960s. People greeted strangers on streets. They said good morning to neighbors. Today’s movies show this as creepy behavior. Casual friendliness became suspicious. Street conversations died. Something fundamental changed in Western culture.
Here in India, I greet strangers during morning walks. “Ram Ram” or “Hariom” flows naturally. People respond warmly. “Namaste” is formal salutation and therefore reserved for formal occasions.
The garbage collector shouts greetings from ten houses away. He knows I’ll respond back. Even street dogs have names. Blackie and Brownie wag their tails when called.
The Cab Ride Test
In India, cab conversations happen naturally. Drivers share stories about their villages. They discuss politics and future plans. A cab ride becomes a human encounter. Formal transaction mixes with casual connection. In the West, cab drivers stay professionally distant. Boundaries remain rigid.
The Communication Problem
When I email Western friends, I must provide full context every time. We discussed cats months ago. Now if I mention pet behavior, they’re confused. In India, conversations build on previous talks. Shared references stay alive. Past discussions remain accessible.
I tell a joke today and we, friends laugh together. Next time I reference it, Western friends don’t connect it. With most but not all of Westerners, it’s like talking to AI. Each conversation starts from zero. Even in written emails with time to think, they can’t link back to shared moments.
This forced me to change. I became transactional. Just answer what’s asked. Avoid casual conversation. They made me what they are.
The Tourist Evidence
Western tourists visit India for “talking.” They come to experience friendliness they miss at home. I’ve met regular visitors in Varanasi. They’re happy to chat with strangers. They can’t do this back home. They travel thousands of miles for basic human connection. I have written about talking tourism earlier.
The Extreme Example
During a Prime Minister’s visit, security is tight. Roads close. Phones get blocked. I ask the policeman, “How long is the duty?”
He responds, “Till 11 o’clock sir. The ordeal will be over by then.” He can’t reveal state secrets. But he maintains basic courtesy. He acknowledges our shared experience. Try this conversation in the West. It wouldn’t happen.
Why This Matters
When basic human connection becomes scarce, people overcompensate. They get a platform and won’t stop talking. YouTube becomes an outlet for unexpressed need. The verbosity isn’t poor skills. It’s emotional hunger. Americans repeat themselves because they’re not used to being truly heard.
The Time Bank Solution
Sweden created time banks to fight loneliness. People earn credits helping others. They spend credits receiving help. This formalizes what happens naturally in Indian culture. It’s an institutional fix for cultural failure.
It appears that the West developed social poverty while pursuing progress. They created technological connection but human disconnection. Material prosperity came with emotional scarcity. Individual freedom brought collective isolation.
The Real Problem
Casual conversation became suspicious. Personal sharing requires formal permission. Professional boundaries hardened everywhere. The cab driver stays silent. The morning walker avoids eye contact. Store clerks don’t chat. When micro-connections disappear, macro-loneliness appears.
Friends Who Changed
Indians who moved to Canada decades ago were embarrassed by my behavior. “Why do you talk to strangers and cab drivers?” They learned to see warmth as inappropriate. Basic courtesy became cultural violation. They too had become what their current society demanded them too be.
Loneliness and Speech
This social architecture creates industries. Therapy businesses boom. Dating apps replace natural meeting. Self-help content explodes. The culture that created isolation then profits from solving it.
When people don’t get daily genuine listening, they ramble when given chances. They circle back repeatedly. They fill silence with words. Indians stay concise because social needs get met naturally. Americans repeat because connection is scarce. With each prolix word they want to cling to connection.
The Simple Fix
Instead of building time banks for elderly people, teach young people basic courtesies. Show them how small gestures create human connection. A simple “good morning” to strangers. Learning shopkeeper names. A small talk here and a small talk help in living life. These micro-interactions prevent macro-problems.
Social Wealth
The garbage collector deserves “Ram Ram” greeting. The policeman on duty deserves respect. The street dog deserves a name. This isn’t poverty. This is social wealth.
True development shouldn’t require sacrificing human dignity. Progress shouldn’t mean losing ability to see strangers as fellow humans. Social wealth matters more than individual wealth. Community recognition beats professional achievement.
The Bottom Line
Prolixity in Western communication isn’t a language problem. It’s a loneliness problem. When societies forget basic courtesy, people don’t stop needing connection. They express that hunger in unhealthy ways. The solution isn’t more therapy or time banks. It’s remembering how to greet strangers with dignity.
Starting from a simple observation about repetitive speech, we discovered something profound. Western social isolation creates verbal excess.
The cure exists. It’s called basic human courtesy.