Why Indians are lonely ?

 

Why Indians are feeling
LONELY?

Have you watched Irrfan Khan's movie, The Lunchbox In the movie, the two characters have different lives, but they are going through loneliness.

 Irrfan Khan's character is a widower who is about to retire and has lost connection and his purpose in life. Whereas Nimrit Kaur's character is married and has a family, yet she feels lonely.

These two characters show us that loneliness can be of different kinds. Why am I telling you this?

 

Introduction

Loneliness is a prevalent mental health challenge in India, affecting individuals of all ages and backgrounds.

An article in the Hindustan Times in 2021 said that loneliness is the biggest mental health challenge after stress is Loneliness. But some of you may say, this isn't India's problem. This is the problem of a Western country like America.

There are millions of people in India. Loneliness doesn't mean you don't have people around you. It means you don't have meaningful social connections with your people

 

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction

   1.1 Loneliness as a Prevalent Mental Health Challenge in India

   1.2 Understanding Loneliness

   1.3 Dr. Vivek Murthy's Perspective on Loneliness

 

2. Loneliness in India: A Global Perspective

   2.1 Global Survey on Loneliness Levels in India

   2.2 Loneliness among Children and Adolescents

 

3. Causes of Loneliness in India

   3.1 Migration for Work and Education

   3.2 Changing Family Structures

   3.3 Work-Life Imbalance

   3.4 Impact of Technology

   3.5 The Health Impact of Loneliness

 

4. Addressing Loneliness in India

   4.1 Community Initiatives

   4.2 NGOs and Support Services

   4.3 Promoting Work-Life Balance

   4.4 Enhancing Social Awareness

 

5. Conclusion

 

FAQs

 

 

Understanding Loneliness

India is facing a loneliness epidemic, which can also be called Hikikomori. It's a Japanese word for 'extreme form of loneliness’. Loneliness is a complex emotional state resulting from deficient social relationships in terms of quantity or quality.

 Loneliness has three aspects :

v  The unpleasant feelings i.e. when you don't feel good. This leads to negative emotions in your mind.

v  The perception of being alone. Even if you have 15 people in your house, you can still feel lonely because you can't connect with people around you.

v  The deficiency in desired relationships. What does this mean? It means that you want your relationships to be a certain way, but the reality is different.

Dr. Vivek Murthy, a surgeon general in the US, said that loneliness is like the feeling of being hungry or thirsty. If we don't eat enough, our body gives us signals that we should eat more. Similarly, loneliness is a signal from our body that we should establish better relationships.

 

Loneliness in India: A Global Perspective

A global survey conducted in 2021 revealed that 43% of Indians experience loneliness, ranking India third after Brazil and Turkey in terms of loneliness levels. Contrary to the misconception that loneliness is only prevalent in the elderly population, around 25% of children aged 13-15 also report feeling lonely.

Causes of Loneliness in India

Several factors contribute to the rising loneliness rates in India:

 

1. Migration for Work and Education

CNN News 18 data showed that between 2020 and 2022, over 28 lakh Indians left the country for work, and The Ministry of Education showed that more than 7.5 lakh students went abroad for higher education. Such relocations often lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness. A recent study showed that 42% of Indians who went to the US to study felt lonely.

And don't think that only those who are going abroad face these problems, between 2020 and 2021, 38 lakh Indians migrated within India for education, and 90 lakh people for work. It's not just the people who're migrating that feel lonely. People on the other side feel lonely as well. Psychiatrists say that when children leave their homes to go to school or work, many parents feel lonely.

 

2. Changing Family Structures

India is a collectivist society. It was very common to live in a joint family. But this is changing with time. According to a survey in 1998, 23% of Indian families were nuclear. And after 20 years, this number has increased to 58%.

This will affect our generation the most. With the shift towards nuclear families, elderly individuals are more likely to live in solitude. In 2017, a staggering 50% of the elderly population in India reported being alone. In the past, we lived in closed communities. Now we live in big towers with CCTV cameras. But there's no societal connection.

Prakash Borgaonkar, who works for the NGO Help Age India, gave a good example. During the COVID lockdown, an elderly couple in Vile Parle asked for help from their NGO to deliver groceries. They were shocked to learn that the community had around 200 houses and no one asked the couple if they needed anything.

3. Work-Life Imbalance

Indians are working more compared to the 1970s. In 2019, an average Indian worked ~2100 hours. This was more than an average Japanese--25% more. But it's believed that the Japanese work more. But it's not true.

Another survey showed that Indian millennials work more than Chinese, American, and British millennials. An average Indian millennial works 52 hours a week. That's 9 hours a day, Monday to Saturday.

This means that many people don't have a work-life balance. A survey by monster.com showed that 67% of Indian professionals think about work even when they're not working.

 

4.  Impact of Technology

There was a time when entertainment was a social activity. Shows, cricket matches, and movies were aired on TV. All the family members and friends would sit together to enjoy these things. So it wasn't just an entertainment experience, it was also a social experience.

Personalized entertainment through platforms like Netflix and excessive use of social media contribute to feelings of loneliness, as individuals may experience fear of missing out (FOMO) when comparing their lives to others.

A Jaipur NGO found in a social media survey that 57% of the people said they hadn't met a friend for 2 weeks and 60% said they feel alone.

 

5. The Health Impact of Loneliness

Many of you might think it only put pressure mentally, But Dr. Vivek Murthy showed that loneliness has a health impact similar to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Loneliness increases cortisol levels in our bodies, which is a stress hormone. This damages our immunity and increases the chances of health risks.

Andrea Courtney, a neuroscience researcher at Stanford University, showed that loneliness activates areas of the brain that activates when we experience physic t socially isolated people have a higher risk of dementia. Dementia is a health issue that reduces an elder's ability to remember and think.

Addressing Loneliness in India

Many people started talking about loneliness after COVID, but the most difficult thing is to tell other people that you're feeling lonely. In fact, in India, there's so little talk about loneliness that there are no proper statistics or research on it. Because of this situation, people don't know who to ask for help

Tackling loneliness requires a multi-faceted approach involving individuals, communities, and organizations:

1. Community Initiatives

Creating communities based on shared interests, hobbies, or activities can foster meaningful social connections and combat loneliness.

2. NGOs and Support Services

Organizations like the Dignity Foundation can provide counseling and support to elderly individuals experiencing loneliness.

3. Promoting Work-Life Balance

Encouraging work-life balance and reducing excessive work hours can help individuals prioritize their social connections.

4. Enhancing Social Awareness

Promoting awareness about loneliness as a legitimate mental health concern can lead to more open discussions and better support systems.

 

Conclusion

Loneliness is a significant mental health challenge in India that affects people of all ages and backgrounds. Understanding its causes and consequences is essential in devising effective strategies to combat this epidemic. By fostering meaningful social connections and implementing community-based initiatives, we can work towards creating a more connected and empathetic society.

 

FAQs

1. Is loneliness only a problem for the elderly in India?

No, loneliness affects individuals of all age groups in India, including children, adolescents, and adults.

 

2. How can migration contribute to loneliness?

Leaving familiar surroundings and social networks behind during migration for work or education can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness.

 

3. Can technology exacerbate loneliness?

Excessive use of personalized entertainment and social media can contribute to loneliness, as individuals may feel disconnected and experience fear of missing out.

 

4. Is loneliness a serious health concern?

Yes, loneliness has severe health consequences, comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and can increase the risk of various health issues.

 

5. How can communities play a role in combating loneliness?

Creating communities based on shared interests or activities can provide individuals with meaningful social connections and alleviate feelings of loneliness.

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