Unwanted loneliness was at the center of the debate this Wednesday at the Economic and Social Council of Castilla y León. A social forum, launched in 2020, at the time of the pandemic, and which includes “very high level” speakers.
“It is a deep societal problem, it is not minor or circumstantial. A problem generated by the environment itself”says CES President Enrique Cabero.
Who also clarified that the focus is not only on the elderly, as we tend to think traditionally, nor on rural areas, since it also exists in cities and among young people.
Txetxu Ausín, president of the CSIC Ethics Committee, highlighted that loneliness is a “problem of our times” because it expresses “a form of life change” that has led to this feeling.
He links it to “the rise of individualism, the weakening of social and family ties and the relationship with digital technology”.
A project in which they attempted to “focus on the complex experience of loneliness”. A situation that affects many people and where few people express it.
In the words of Carmen Cárdenas, Crece project coordinator, “Only 9% are able to express that they find themselves in these situations”. It is therefore difficult to have exact data on the number of people who feel alone.
“It is difficult for a person to recognize you. Loneliness is a “U” phenomenon, higher among young people, when people are older, it becomes more present again“, he assures.
Youth is one of the sectors that most experiences this type of situation. They all agree on the influence of social networks, which play an “ambivalent role” because “they give the impression of having a lot of people, but if we ask how many people there are to talk about a problem, the number is reduced”. “.
A “loneliness that hurts” and which affects the person both “physically and psychologically”. To do this, they work to find solutions that can help those who experience this feeling.
Some of them consist of “promoting what can generate meaningful connections between people and their immediate core” or “recovering lost values”. However, they specify, to “be able to act, the first thing is to know”.
“It’s not so much about the recipe for inventing something new but for rethinking the social capital of our communities. Being aware of others. Finding meaningful social connections”Cardenas said.
A project that was carried out throughout the country and where 6,000 interviews including questionnaires were carried out. Among them, 600 also participated to see “what common elements” they found.
Of the 3,707 who expressed their unwanted loneliness, thanks to this ongoing project, they were able to see a “reduction in their experience of unwanted solitude”.
In León, for example, they carried out a project with Imserso with the exhibition “A Alone Moment” which served as a “research experience” because it was interactive.
The goal was for them to come out “with another perspective” and realize how much unwanted loneliness affects them, as well as the “taboos or patterns that fit collectively” and the responsibility that exists as a society.
