404 The Anxiety of Loneliness, Why literature is important and books can help us understand what is going on in our need for longing.

https://www.anxietyroadpodcast.com/2026/04/arp-404-anxiety-of-loneliness.html

#Social Anxiety #Loneliness #Books #MentalHealth

The article explores how loneliness can lead to compensatory shopping, which then evolves into conspicuous consumption and ultimately online shopping addiction. It outlines a sequential pathway from internal emotional relief to external status signaling within digital shopping environments.

This topic is of interest to psychology because it links social connection, self-esteem, and consumer behavior, illustrating how internal emotional states can drive observable patterns in online activity and identity signaling.

Article Title: The unexpected link between loneliness, status, and shopping habits

Link to PsyPost Article: https://www.psypost dot org/how-loneliness-and-the-desire-for-status-fuel-online-shopping-addiction-2026-03-20/

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#loneliness #shoppingaddiction #conspicuousconsumption #compensatoryconsumption #digitalbehavior

Robinson Crusoe’s Soliloquy

Today is Thursday
I wonder
What the morrow will bring.

My Latest Writings

“There is only as much distance between God and us as there is between clay and pot.”

“There is only as much difference between God and us as there is between clay and pot.”

“Does the pot exist at all, or only clay exists? Do we exist at all, or only God exists?”

“Are we pot or clay or both?”

“Is the mind pot or clay, or clay appearing as pot?”

“Do we get happiness from the outside, or is happiness within us? Similarly, do we get misery from the outside, or do we make ourselves miserable?”

“Are we unhappy because we lack the desired object, or we become unhappy because of the desire itself?”

“The devil is in the details but God is in the silence.”

“Our enemies are actually our friends in disguise.”

“Is our body ‘in the world’ or ‘in our mind’?”

“All sciences are merely attempts to cure the symptoms and miss the underlying disease.”

“Is desire a blessing or a curse?”

“Can a mind enamored of paisa, prestige, power and pleasure understand philosophy?”

No Loneliness

I am never alone

Never ever alone

I who love words

And bask always

In their company.

“The only bitterness I have is toward myself that I made so many mistakes in life. And yet in the midst of that bitterness, there is an inner peace.”

Men, loneliness, and the friendship gap nobody talks about

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.optimistdaily.com/2026/04/men-loneliness-and-the-friendship-gap-nobody-talks-about/

A smaller social network is linked to higher loneliness, especially among those with depression, with fewer social contacts associated with more pronounced loneliness in both groups but more strongly in the depression group.

This piece highlights how actual social connections relate to felt loneliness, and why gaps between desired and actual social ties may be particularly impactful for individuals experiencing depression, offering insight into why social network rebuilding can matter in mental health contexts.

Article Title: A smaller social network increases loneliness more drastically for those with depression

Link to PsyPost Article: https://www.psypost dot org/a-smaller-social-network-increases-loneliness-more-drastically-for-those-with-depression/

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#loneliness #depression #socialconnections #mentalhealth #psychology

University of British Columbia: Texting with a stranger beats a chatbot at easing loneliness. “Texting with a real person—even a stranger—may reduce loneliness more than chatting with a highly supportive AI chatbot, new UBC research suggests.”

"Texting a stranger is better for reducing loneliness than an AI chatbot, study finds"

From CTV News: https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/texting-a-stranger-is-better-for-reducing-loneliness-than-an-ai-chatbot-study-finds/

"The study found that only those who texted with a fellow human reported feeling less lonely at the end of the experiment.

'We thought that interacting with AI might be as helpful as texting with a random fellow first-year student,' said the study’s author, psychology PhD candidate Ruo-Ning Li, in a media release.

'But to our surprise, only the human-to-human texting reduced loneliness over time. The chatbot, even though we designed it to be the ideal supportive friend, didn’t shift loneliness.'"

#NoAI #Loneliness

Who needs friendship anyway? This is an interesting listen. I am interested to hear what other gay men think, particularly older ones like me. Do you have lots of friends? No friends? Is it difficult to make friends in the era of dating apps?

#gay #men #gaymen #LGBTQ #friendship #loneliness #xp

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/actor-andrew-mccarthy-male-friendship-book-9.7152870