Episode 1: Work. Love. Illness. Locale.

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Hey Friend, 

Welcome to Work. Love. Illness. Locale. A newsletter from 52 Friends where I’ll cover loneliness and advocate for the prioritization of friendship. I’ll interview experts like psychologists and professors, feature the latest in related news, and share insights from friends. 

Why is this called Work. Love. Illness. Locale? 

Loneliness can feel really abstract and although it is highly complex, many of the situations or relationships that make us feel lonely fall into the pillars of work, love, illness, or location. 

💼 At work, for example, a sense of belonging is extremely important—it’s actually tied to better performance as actively disengaged workers undermine the companies they work for. Recently, Gallup data showed that having a best friend 👭 at work is essential to emotional and social support and is also tied to key business outcomes. 

🥰 In love, clinical psychologist, Ami Rokach who I will be interviewing next week, says that loneliness is when we feel uncared for and that it is possible to feel lonely in a romantic relationship. More recently, the idea of friendship breakups has become a topic of conversation and I came across this book, Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup with Your Best Friend. 

👨‍⚕️ A few weeks ago, I found out that one of my closest university friends has had Crohn’s disease since the age of 14. “I glamorized loneliness and independence,” she says, but chronic illness is one of the greatest risk factors for loneliness. To add insult to injury, loneliness can have profound consequences on our health and can be more harmful than obesity, smoking, and high blood pressure. 

🌎 Finally, locale. Moving to a new place or living far away from friends can lead to a lack of social connectivity. I’m also interested in the correlation between climate change, natural disasters, and loneliness. 

What’s new with me? 

I hosted a Mediterranean-themed dinner potluck this past Saturday with some new and old friends. You may recognize Friend #5 - Lilian, Friend #10 - Luigi, and Friends #14 & 15 - Maria and Sergiy. 

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On Monday, February 6, an earthquake of 7.8 magnitude struck southern Türkiye and northern Syria. Thousands of people have died, and many more are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. Donate here.

~ Miriam