Donate

Loneliness

Åsa Koski started the Säg hej! campaign in Sweden to get people to interact more with each other to combat widespread loneliness.

The ‘Say Hi’ campaign in Sweden is helping to combat loneliness

Lifestyle

Åsa Koski, a social strategist with the Luleå municipality in northern Sweden, started the Säg hej! (“Say hi!”) campaign to try and get people to interact more with each other to combat widespread loneliness.

A woman sits on a bed using her phone with another woman in the hallway doing the same

The lost art of listening

Science & Technology
Rie van de Mueren (r) used to be a professional ballroom dancer. She's with Dieuwer Duijf at the Music Salon, which holds dance parties for the elderly in north Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is tackling loneliness one dance party at a time

Music

The Lonely Holiday Season

The World

Thoreau in the ‘Burbs

Tell us about your experience accessing The World

We want to hear your feedback so we can keep improving our website, theworld.org. Please fill out this quick survey and let us know your thoughts (your answers will be anonymous). Thanks for your time!

The World

Loneliness around the world

Environment

The holidays can be a lonely time. And some cultures are more prone to feelings of loneliness and isolation than others.

Baby Monkey Gangs Reveal Genetic Effects of Loneliness

Loneliness isn’t just a state of mind. It also affects our bodies. A growing number of studies are showing that a feeling of loneliness is associated with heart problems, viral infections, and an increased risk of death. And those health problems, in turn, are associated with huge differences in gene activity. Some genes, like ones […]

We respect your time, attention and privacy

This is a news website, not a click casino. We do NOT employ deceptive behaviors, display annoying ads or use third party cookies and trackers to monetize your visit or help advertisers track you across the internet.

Simply, we ask that you would consider a donation to support the journalism we produce every weekday. Thank you.

This is The World

The World is a public radio program and podcast that crosses borders and time zones to bring home the stories that matter.

Follow The World

Subscribe to The World’s Latest Edition podcast for free using your favorite podcast player: