More than half of Americans say they are lonely, reporting that they have no meaningful in-person...

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More than half of Americans say they are lonely, reporting that they have no meaningful in-person interactions on a daily basis. What's more surprising is that young adults now report experiencing more loneliness than those over 65. This is most likely because of the social isolation that got thrust upon all of us during the COVID-19 pandemic, which young people were not expecting nor accustomed to at all. Humans are social animals so loneliness is very bad for us, both mentally and physically. It raises the risk of anxiety and depression, and studies find that people who are lonely experience more heart disease, high blood pressure, and weaker immune systems. Dr. Vivek Murthy, the surgeon general, now considers loneliness a public health issue. In a new advisory, he calls on the nation to strengthen its social fabric and to prioritize meaningful relationships. It's important to emphasize that connections online and through electronic devices seem to be a poor replacement for the emotional and psychological sustenance we get from being around others in-person. Social media and video games are like the diet soda of our emotional well being - it tastes like we're hanging out with people, but there are no emotional calories. And in this case, no emotional calories is a bad thing... it's starving us. How to fix it: Loneliness is a function of both the quantity and quality of in-person social interactions. This means to combat loneliness, we need to see people in-person often and feel some degree of intimacy and trust with them. One tip Dr. Murthy offers is to take 15 minutes each day to contact a friend or relative. When speaking to the person, be sure to focus on the conversation because listening is as important as what you say. C'mon, be honest, how often have you caught yourself looking at your phone while someone is speaking with you? So don't allow yourself to get distracted because relationships cannot thrive unless they are truly nurtured. For this extra credit assignment, complete Option A (25 points) OR Option B (25 points) Option A (25 points) Answer the following questions using at least 750 words but no more than 1500 words (total). No particular writing format is required but your submission needs to be legible so make sure to check spelling and grammar. 1. Remember an experience you had when you felt lonely. Explain the circumstances surrounding the event, and share your memories of it. 2. Describe how you reacted or responded. In other words, what did you do about it and did it help? 3. How would you handle that same situation now? What's different and why do you think it would work better? Option B (25 points) Contact a friend or relative that you haven't spoken to in the past month and spend at least 15 minutes talking to them. Ideally, meet them in person to have a one-on-one conversation but if that's not possible, a telephone or video conversation is fine. After doing this, answer the following questions using at least 750 words but no more than 1500 words (total). No particular writing format is required but your submission needs to be legible so make sure to check spelling and grammar. 1. Describe how you felt while speaking to the person and how you felt afterwards. 2. Outline what you think the differences are between in-person interactions and electronic-only interactions. 3. Research shows that in-person interactions are better at combatting loneliness than electronic-only interactions. Why do you think that is? More than half of Americans say they are lonely, reporting that they have no meaningful in-person interactions on a daily basis. What's more surprising is that young adults now report experiencing more loneliness than those over 65. This is most likely because of the social isolation that got thrust upon all of us during the COVID-19 pandemic, which young people were not expecting nor accustomed to at all. Humans are social animals so loneliness is very bad for us, both mentally and physically. It raises the risk of anxiety and depression, and studies find that people who are lonely experience more heart disease, high blood pressure, and weaker immune systems. Dr. Vivek Murthy, the surgeon general, now considers loneliness a public health issue. In a new advisory, he calls on the nation to strengthen its social fabric and to prioritize meaningful relationships. It's important to emphasize that connections online and through electronic devices seem to be a poor replacement for the emotional and psychological sustenance we get from being around others in-person. Social media and video games are like the diet soda of our emotional well being - it tastes like we're hanging out with people, but there are no emotional calories. And in this case, no emotional calories is a bad thing... it's starving us. How to fix it: Loneliness is a function of both the quantity and quality of in-person social interactions. This means to combat loneliness, we need to see people in-person often and feel some degree of intimacy and trust with them. One tip Dr. Murthy offers is to take 15 minutes each day to contact a friend or relative. When speaking to the person, be sure to focus on the conversation because listening is as important as what you say. C'mon, be honest, how often have you caught yourself looking at your phone while someone is speaking with you? So don't allow yourself to get distracted because relationships cannot thrive unless they are truly nurtured. For this extra credit assignment, complete Option A (25 points) OR Option B (25 points) Option A (25 points) Answer the following questions using at least 750 words but no more than 1500 words (total). No particular writing format is required but your submission needs to be legible so make sure to check spelling and grammar. 1. Remember an experience you had when you felt lonely. Explain the circumstances surrounding the event, and share your memories of it. 2. Describe how you reacted or responded. In other words, what did you do about it and did it help? 3. How would you handle that same situation now? What's different and why do you think it would work better? Option B (25 points) Contact a friend or relative that you haven't spoken to in the past month and spend at least 15 minutes talking to them. Ideally, meet them in person to have a one-on-one conversation but if that's not possible, a telephone or video conversation is fine. After doing this, answer the following questions using at least 750 words but no more than 1500 words (total). No particular writing format is required but your submission needs to be legible so make sure to check spelling and grammar. 1. Describe how you felt while speaking to the person and how you felt afterwards. 2. Outline what you think the differences are between in-person interactions and electronic-only interactions. 3. Research shows that in-person interactions are better at combatting loneliness than electronic-only interactions. Why do you think that is?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Option 1 Contact a friend or relative and have a conversation 1 While speaking to the person I felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness Excitement ... View the full answer