Susan Mettes is the author of the brand-new book coming out November 2 called, “The Loneliness Epidemic – Why So Many of Us Feel Alone and How Leaders Can Respond.”

Susan has been studying people and their decisions for over a decade. She has experience in behavioral economics, writing, research, survey design and analysis, travel, journalism, public policy, and teaching.

Susan is currently working as an Associate Editor at Christianity Today magazine. Her family alternates between living in East Africa and Washington D.C.

Memorable Quotes:

• “Loneliness is really when we're disappointed with our relationship. So sometimes that takes the form of missing a specific person. Sometimes we wish we had friends, more friends, different friends, a specific friend. But it's always that gap between the relationships we want to have and the relationships we actually have.”
• “In the United States, the older you are, the less likely you are to be lonely. It is a young person's problem in our country.”
• “But sometimes people who are very glamorous are also insecure and also feel lonely. And I think it's really important to me to remind people that when somebody looks like they have a good life to you, don't assume that they're emotionally feeling great all the time.”
• “You have to start. You have to be somebody who's kind. You have to be somebody who is willing to reach out. You have to be somebody who’s asking somebody else if they want to do something with you.”

What You’ll Learn:

Research and facts on the loneliness epidemic in the United States and how to overcome loneliness with kindness.

This Episode Includes:

• Loneliness occurs when we're disappointed with our relationship.
• Most people are in the middle of the loneliness spectrum where they feel bad about it and wish it were different, but don’t find it excruciating. Others find it excruciating.
• Quality friendships help defend against loneliness.
• The loneliest population is young people who are going through transition periods in their lives.
• The loneliness epidemic started before the pandemic.
• Even if someone’s life looks appealing from the outside, they may be struggling emotionally on the inside.
• Kindness is a tool that we can use, or a building block, to help people get out of their feelings of loneliness.
• A variety of relationships is important for people dealing with loneliness.
• Kindness is part of the foundation of belongingness.
• If you pour gasoline on a fire of loneliness, you get more loneliness. But if you put kindness on loneliness, you can actually transform it.

Three Takeaways From Today’s Episode:

1. Practice kindness this week by starting a conversation with your neighbor.
2. Consider the quality of your relationships and if you’re substituting or supplementing your social life with social media.
3. Choose one person to deepen your relationship with by cultivating mutual regard through acts of kindness.

Mentioned In The Episode:

• Community America Credit Union
• City Wide Facilities Solutions
• Advent Health
• 31-Day Kindness Campaign - SIGN UP HERE
• Small Changes Big Shifts
• The Loneliness Epidemic, Why So Many of Us Feel Alone—and How Leaders Can Respond by Susan Mettes
• Till We Have Faces By C.S. Lewis

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Further episodes of Small Changes Big Shifts

Further podcasts by Dr. Michelle Robin

Website of Dr. Michelle Robin