Loneliness is a serious public-health problem
The lonely are not just sadder; they are unhealthier and die younger. What can be done?

LONDON, says Tony Dennis, a 62-year-old security guard, is a city of “sociable loners”. Residents want to get to know each other but have few ways to do so. Tonight, however, is different. Mr Dennis and a few dozen other locals are jousting at a monthly quiz put on by the Cares Family, a charity dedicated to curbing loneliness.
This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “Alone in the crowd”
International
September 1st 2018
From the September 1st 2018 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the edition
Why the West has stopped losing its religion
After decades of rising secularism, Christianity is holding its ground—and gaining among the young

Taiwan thinks the unthinkable: resisting China without America
Its plan was to hold off a Chinese attack until America turned up. What now?
To earn American help, allies are told to elect nationalists
MAGA-world flirts with forces that once tore Europe apart
Vladimir Putin’s sickening statistic: 1m Russian casualties in Ukraine
His regime uses payouts to salve Russian families’ grief