Dr. Marisa Franco

We don't have the sort of proof that someone's invested in us like we might have with someone who's married or we share blood with, which is why I think friendship can really bring out some of our insecurities.

Yeah, so it's a really mixed bag in the research, I would say, because social media's link with loneliness really depends on how you use it. If you're someone who uses social media to facilitate in-person interaction, you're sliding in someone's DMs on Instagram to be like, let's hang out, you're gonna be less lonely. But if you use it to replace in-person interaction,

Yeah, so it's a really mixed bag in the research, I would say, because social media's link with loneliness really depends on how you use it. If you're someone who uses social media to facilitate in-person interaction, you're sliding in someone's DMs on Instagram to be like, let's hang out, you're gonna be less lonely. But if you use it to replace in-person interaction,

Yeah, so it's a really mixed bag in the research, I would say, because social media's link with loneliness really depends on how you use it. If you're someone who uses social media to facilitate in-person interaction, you're sliding in someone's DMs on Instagram to be like, let's hang out, you're gonna be less lonely. But if you use it to replace in-person interaction,

If you're just interacting with people over social media and you're not seeing people in real life, then it's going to make you more lonely. You know, interestingly, I would say when we take a step back and look at the larger research on this topic, that social media has been a net negative for our connections, because actually in 2012, there was a stark increase in loneliness.

If you're just interacting with people over social media and you're not seeing people in real life, then it's going to make you more lonely. You know, interestingly, I would say when we take a step back and look at the larger research on this topic, that social media has been a net negative for our connections, because actually in 2012, there was a stark increase in loneliness.

If you're just interacting with people over social media and you're not seeing people in real life, then it's going to make you more lonely. You know, interestingly, I would say when we take a step back and look at the larger research on this topic, that social media has been a net negative for our connections, because actually in 2012, there was a stark increase in loneliness.

especially for people between the ages of 18 and 24. In 2012, people between the ages of 18 and 24 had the best mental health of any age group, and now they have the worst. And what happened in 2012? That was the popularization of the smartphone.

especially for people between the ages of 18 and 24. In 2012, people between the ages of 18 and 24 had the best mental health of any age group, and now they have the worst. And what happened in 2012? That was the popularization of the smartphone.

especially for people between the ages of 18 and 24. In 2012, people between the ages of 18 and 24 had the best mental health of any age group, and now they have the worst. And what happened in 2012? That was the popularization of the smartphone.

Yeah, it's really fascinating. These smartphone usage, especially for the younger generations, have been found to decrease their level of empathy because we develop empathy through looking into someone's eyes. And so when we're not doing that, we can't really read other people's feelings, which is so key to being able to connect with people.

Yeah, it's really fascinating. These smartphone usage, especially for the younger generations, have been found to decrease their level of empathy because we develop empathy through looking into someone's eyes. And so when we're not doing that, we can't really read other people's feelings, which is so key to being able to connect with people.

Yeah, it's really fascinating. These smartphone usage, especially for the younger generations, have been found to decrease their level of empathy because we develop empathy through looking into someone's eyes. And so when we're not doing that, we can't really read other people's feelings, which is so key to being able to connect with people.

I kind of mentioned this, but I wanted to just sort of bring out this theme. And my read of the research is that in general, the world is a lot safer than what we assume and what we predict. I already talked about the liking gap, wherein researchers found that when strangers interact, they underestimate how much the other person is to like them.

I kind of mentioned this, but I wanted to just sort of bring out this theme. And my read of the research is that in general, the world is a lot safer than what we assume and what we predict. I already talked about the liking gap, wherein researchers found that when strangers interact, they underestimate how much the other person is to like them.

I kind of mentioned this, but I wanted to just sort of bring out this theme. And my read of the research is that in general, the world is a lot safer than what we assume and what we predict. I already talked about the liking gap, wherein researchers found that when strangers interact, they underestimate how much the other person is to like them.

There's also a phenomenon called the beautiful mess effect, which basically finds that when When we're vulnerable, we think people are judging us more than they actually are, and we underestimate how positively they're perceiving us when we're vulnerable.

There's also a phenomenon called the beautiful mess effect, which basically finds that when When we're vulnerable, we think people are judging us more than they actually are, and we underestimate how positively they're perceiving us when we're vulnerable.

There's also a phenomenon called the beautiful mess effect, which basically finds that when When we're vulnerable, we think people are judging us more than they actually are, and we underestimate how positively they're perceiving us when we're vulnerable.

Similarly, when we share affection, we assume it'll come off as more awkward than it will, and we discount how much other people will appreciate it and be thankful for it. And so in general, I think making friends feels like a risk. And it is a risk. Intimacy is a risk. We might be rejected. But it's actually far less likely. It's far less risky than we think it is.