The loneliness of the socially fluent: why the most engaging people in the room often feel the most alone
Most people assume loneliness looks withdrawn.
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The Silicon Canals Editorial Team produces content across our three editorial pillars: technology and business, power and investigations, and human systems. We chronicle the systems that shape our lives, from the global infrastructure of technology to the internal infrastructure of the human mind. Articles reflect our team's collective editorial process, sourcing, drafting, fact-checking, editing, and review, rather than a single journalist's writing. Silicon Canals takes editorial responsibility for content under this byline. For more on how we work, see our editorial policy.
Most people assume loneliness looks withdrawn.
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A common assumption holds that the most agreeable older adults are simply the ones who dodged life's hardest blows.
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There is a persistent and underexplored pattern in aging: people who become unpleasant to be around in later life rarely develop new character flaws.
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The pattern is nearly universal.
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Some people remember every birthday, ask about weekend plans, and always offer help when colleagues are overwhelmed.
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Some of the most successful people seem oddly uncomfortable with their own success.
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Something peculiar happens to friendships in the mid-to-late thirties.
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Something peculiar happens to friendships in the mid-to-late thirties.
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