\u00a0Eric Klinenberg\u00a0starts his journey with a telling fact: More than 50 percent of American adults are single \u2014 a number that has jumped from 22 percent in 1950. And one in every seven adults lives alone. Unfortunately, Klinenberg notes, discussions about the single lifestyle \u201ctend to represent it as an unmitigated social problem, a sign of narcissism, fragmentation, and diminished public life.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Klinenberg, who is a professor of sociology at NYU, set out to debunk those myths.\u00a0 He acknowledges that living alone can be damaging, noting that exile once ranked among the most severe forms of punishment and that many animals, such as hermit crabs, experience deteriorating health when they are left to live alone.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Many people interviewed for Klinenberg\u2019s study, however \u2014 from young professionals to divorced middle agers to independent seniors \u2014 attest to the benefits of solo living. They describe feelings of complete freedom, the joy of being able to follow your own schedule, indulge your own habits and focus on your own growth and development instead of always considering or caring for someone else. No compromises. No sacrifices. No attachments. These upbeat singles typically find themselves more socially active, not less. \u201cAlthough we often associate living alone with social isolation,\u201d Klinenberg writes, \u201cfor most adults the reverse is true.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
As the Washington Post<\/em> article notes, Klinenberg’s readers meet singletons who view solo life as an opportunity to reach out, not an opportunity to withdraw.\u00a0 And, they have ready access to social media and, in most cases, a world of people right outside their front door.<\/p>\n\u00a0And therein lies the paradox that permeates the book. Living alone works best as a lifestyle choice when it leads to greater connection. Every singleton interviewed, even the most enthusiastic, had at least some reservations or worries: pangs about not having children or concerns about spending too much time at the office, poignant questions about failed marriages or the lack of a long-term relationship, fear of facing illness or death alone. But in this way, the author notes, single people are no different from those living with a partner. They \u201cstruggle with loneliness or the feeling that they need to change something to make their lives feel more complete,\u201d Klinenberg writes. \u201cBut so, too, do their married friends and family members.\u201d In other words, we\u2019re all in the same boat.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Klinenberg urges readers to embrace this new demographic trend as a way to invigorate civic and social life. \u00a0\u00a0He cites examples of living situations that create a supportive community for singles of all ages (through community exercise rooms, dining rooms, or libraries), though he recognizes that living alone can be a painful experience for those who do not live alone by choice.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Living alone is no guarantee of happiness \u2014 nor is dwelling in the company of others. But the author\u2019s findings suggest that crafting policies that promote creative living solutions could lead to happier and emotionally healthier communities. And his book reminds us that to get there, we\u2019ll have to draw on all the individual talent we can muster as we work it out \u2014 together.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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Eric Klinenberg\u2019s Going Solo explores a significant demographic trend: the increase in adults living alone in the United States. \u00a0As the Washington Post\u00a0explains, \u00a0Eric Klinenberg\u00a0starts his journey with a telling fact: More than 50 percent of American adults are single \u2014 a number that has jumped from 22 percent in 1950. And one in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":337,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39074],"tags":[135,70],"class_list":["post-2986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sightings","tag-demography","tag-family"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/clippings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/clippings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/clippings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/clippings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/337"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/clippings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2986"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/clippings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2986\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2994,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/clippings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2986\/revisions\/2994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/clippings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/clippings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/clippings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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