Socially|Mundane

The Wall Street Journal has a very good article by John T. Cacioppo and William Patrick on loneliness and why it seems to affect a lot of people during the Christmas holiday time of year.

A larger part of it, according to research has to do with society itself through 'social pathologies'. There are three types of human connection according to this article: Intimate or romantic partners, close friends and collectivity, such as a nation as a whole (just look at the Canadian pride, for example.)

The State of Solitude - WSJ.com: "Even on 'Second Life,' the virtual world in which participants assume the guise of onscreen cartoonish characters -- and which Messrs. Cacioppo and Patrick endorse as a possible source of connection -- one cannot act out intimate fantasies with one's virtual partner without chancing that other virtual friends will saunter by and take a peek. Or that a real-life spouse will discover what's going on and file for divorce, as happened to a British couple earlier this year, according to recent reports about the virtually faithless David Pollard and his corporeal wife, Amy Taylor."

So, does loneliness grip you this time of year? How do you combat it?

courtesy of The Wall Street Journal