{"id":3173,"date":"2024-04-07T06:00:03","date_gmt":"2024-04-07T06:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sofarsounds.com\/blog\/?p=3173"},"modified":"2024-04-05T17:19:53","modified_gmt":"2024-04-05T17:19:53","slug":"finding-connection-in-loneliness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sofarsounds.com\/blog\/articles\/finding-connection-in-loneliness","title":{"rendered":"Finding Connection in the Era of Loneliness"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We live in an era of screens and virtual connections, so it\u2019s no wonder that people around the world are feeling lonely. In fact, a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/opinion\/gallup\/512618\/almost-quarter-world-feels-lonely.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recent Meta-Gallup poll<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> indicates that a quarter of the world reports feelings of loneliness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our phones may appear to make us more connected, but really we\u2019re more isolated and disconnected than ever before. This phenomenon has been referred to as the &#8220;loneliness epidemic\u201d, and it\u2019s affecting people all over the globe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Sofar, we recognize how important it is to bring like-minded people together who share a love of music \u2014whether it\u2019s one night out of the year or a repeated event in your social calendar.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So we thought we\u2019d examine research and explore how Sofars can help connect folks around unforgettable music.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Understanding Loneliness\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Loneliness can actually be bad for you, public health experts said, linking heightened loneliness to early mortality because of its effects on our mental and physical health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHuman beings need social connections to thrive, and being embedded in strong supportive networks can protect our wellbeing when we\u2019re faced with difficulties in life,\u201d says <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/10\/24\/health\/lonely-adults-gallup-poll-wellness\/index.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CHuman%20beings%20need%20social%20connections,United%20Kingdom%2C%20in%20an%20email.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dr. Olivia Remes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a mental health researcher at the University of Cambridge.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unsurprisingly, the pandemic was a huge disruptor to our overall sense of social connection and community. Overnight, our social and professional lives were restricted to our computers, which increased fatigue and decreased normal, energetic interaction. Because of this existential exhaustion, people are now more likely to cancel plans so we can stream our favorite TV show rather than pursue new and existing social relationships.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sofar Shows and IRL Connection<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To find connection and community, we often turn to social media. But that can do more harm than good.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sofar shows, on the other hand, are great for forging for IRL connections. At a show, you might chat with the artist after their set, or share a conversation with a friendly neighbor. Sofar shows have a unique in-the-moment vibe that\u2019s hard to find in other places.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People often benefit from a \u201cthird place\u201d\u2014somewhere outside of work and home where they can connect with others. For many people, this can be a social club, a bar, or a sports team. For many music fans, Sofar shows are their \u201cthird place\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sofar shows help build the community we all need. The Sofar network is strong too, with dozens of shows happening around the world every day, so you\u2019re never too far from connecting with people at a Sofar show.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want to get out and meet people IRL? <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sofarsounds.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check out upcoming Sofars near you!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re struggling with your mental health, or want someone to talk to, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpguide.org\/find-help.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">find help in your country<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We live in an era of screens and virtual connections, so it\u2019s no wonder that people around the world are feeling lonely. In fact, a recent Meta-Gallup poll indicates that a quarter of the world reports feelings of loneliness. Our phones may appear to make us more connected, but really we\u2019re more isolated and disconnected [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":3174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sofarsounds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sofarsounds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sofarsounds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sofarsounds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sofarsounds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sofarsounds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sofarsounds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sofarsounds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sofarsounds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sofarsounds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}