Can Individualism Cure Loneliness?

[Ed Hudgins]

Can Individualism Cure Loneliness?
By Edward Hudgins

The Los Angeles Timesrecently highlighted a study published in Heart, a British Medical Journal publication, that found loneliness can increase the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke by 50%.

If you’re an individualist, you should take note that your health and well-being depend in part on your relationships with others. But those who would put “others” before self had better understand that the risks to them of this error are even greater.

Loneliness is associated with health problems

The so-called “meta-analysis” in Heart looked at 23 different studies from several advanced countries that tracked subjects over periods of between 3 and 21 years. The findings put the risk for heart problems and stroke due to isolation from friends and family groups on the same level as light smoking. They found that isolation made a better predictor of vascular diseases than high blood pressure or obesity.

Isolation can result from a number of factors, including mobility problems and the death of family members and friends. It can also come from a choice to generally stay apart from others.

This study still leaves open the question of whether loneliness resulted in a failure to exercise or see doctors regularly, or in unhealthy habits like overeating, heavy drinking, or smoking, which, in turn, would increase health problems. As the newspaper review observed, “As a result, it's hard to know whether loneliness is a contributor to, the result of, or just another symptom of poor health. And for the same reason, it's hard to know whether programs aimed at getting the socially isolated to re-engage will improve their health, and how.”

But other studies suggest a strong relationship between psychological well-being—which is improved by association with friends and family—and physical health.
 

Communities are important to the individual

So what are the implications of these findings for individualists—including Objectivists—who argue that each of us should put our personal happiness and well-being first? Individualists argue, correctly, that individuals should be free to choose those associations with others that offer value for them.

Some who fancy themselves as individualists have mistakenly... (Continue reading here.)

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On Twitter follow Edward Hudgins @DrEdwardHudgins .

 

 

[Brant Gaede]

Find somebody to love.

If you can't you might croak.

Instead of dropping dead, however, keep looking. That'll keep you going. Even the idea can be enough.

--Brant

what does individualism have to do with loneliness?--loneliness is loneliness

[anthony]

10 hours ago, Brant Gaede said:

.

--Brant

what does individualism have to do with loneliness?--loneliness is loneliness

That's a good question: from what I've seen "altruist-collectivist" types are as prone to loneliness as anyone (not that I've known a large enough sample of "individualists" to go by). One has to be careful of the misperception that "a-c"'s or "liberals" or "conservatives" are all enjoying great times in their various social activities - Church groups, family gatherings, etc. - while the egoist pridefully but miserably sits in his solitary ivory tower.

Also, to carefully distinguish alone-ess from loneliness. Any person can (and does sometimes) experience loneliness in a crowd, say, at a party, but may feel pleasurably alone on a hill-top. I know I'm not speaking only for myself.

 

 

 

[Brant Gaede]

16 minutes ago, anthony said:

That's a good question: from what I've seen "altruist-collectivist" types are as prone to loneliness as anyone (not that I've known a large enough sample of "individualists" to go by). One has to be careful of the misperception that "a-c"'s or "liberals" or "conservatives" are all enjoying great times in their various social activities - Church groups, family gatherings, etc. - while the egoist pridefully but miserably sits in his solitary ivory tower.

Also, to carefully distinguish alone-ess from loneliness. Any person can (and does sometimes) experience loneliness in a crowd, say, at a party, but may feel pleasurably alone on a hill-top. I know I'm not speaking only for myself.

If you imagine you are the only person left on earth you'll experience loneliness--that the loneliness of individualism is the experience of an incomplete and terribly needful person. Tribal banishment is a psychological death sentence. In our huge and modern society there are so many tribes you can get another so the tribal power is broken. It can still be explosive. It can still hurt. Rand banished Branden. After the smoke died down Nathaniel was infinitely grateful. ("California here I come! Right back where I started from!" [this is literally 100 percent faux])

--Brant

while he would never sing that song and not experience such feelings when leaving New York--it was just relief--Nathaniel did have a very good low key singing voice: nice, smooth and pleasant

[BaalChatzaf]

Very few humans are ever alone for any extended period of time.  The number of true hermits (those who live outside other human contact) is very small. 

We are neither alone or lonely.   Feeling lonely when there are other people about sounds a trifle neurotic to me.

[anthony]

3 hours ago, BaalChatzaf said:

Very few humans are ever alone for any extended period of time.  The number of true hermits (those who live outside other human contact) is very small. 

We are neither alone or lonely.   Feeling lonely when there are other people about sounds a trifle neurotic to me.

Funny, that's what sounds faintly neurotic to me. The physical togetherness assumption, physicality separated from consciousness.

[anthony]

2 hours ago, Brant Gaede said:

If you imagine you are the only person left on earth you'll experience loneliness--that the loneliness of individualism is the experience of an incomplete and terribly needful person. Tribal banishment is a psychological death sentence. In our huge and modern society there are so many tribes you can get another so the tribal power is broken.

 

Nobody else alive - all values of companionship, friendship, trade and love, impossible? That's not a life. Although you spell out the great value of civilisation, nobody can be 'banished' for long. The tribe has no power (unless you allow it).