The Rise of Loneliness: Why We Now have More Opportunities to be Less Connected than Ever Before
Free Public Lecture
Loneliness is a universal human experience, and it can also be a serious public health problem. Feeling lonely can pose a bigger risk for premature death than smoking or obesity. It doesn’t just affect our elderly and those who live remotely, loneliness affects everybody at different times, taking a major toll on our physical, mental and social health.
It’s possible to feel lonely even when we are surrounded by people, and sometimes other people can make us feel more alone. We feel lonely for a myriad of reasons, including relationship breakdown, overreliance on technology, keeping secrets and poor mental health. Tele-web counselling services are becoming more and more occupied by people who are experiencing loneliness and the impact on our economy and health system is huge.
Join our experts as we explore the psychology of loneliness and what we can do to overcome this significant burden.
Presenters
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Sam Fredericks, Acting Chief Executive Officer -
Fiona Patten MP, Leader of the Reason Party and Member of the Legislative Council in Victoria
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Associate Professor Michael Slepian, Social PsychologistAssociate Professor Michael Slepian
Social Psychologist
Columbia Business School
Michael Slepian is the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Associate Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Columbia Business School. Michael studies the psychology of secrets and how keeping secrets affects our social and organizational lives. He has studied the consequences of keeping secrets, including how they can harm our wellbeing and create feelings of social isolation. He studies the effects of personal and professional secrets as well as whether we can tell when others are concealing information from us.
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Dr Katharine Greenaway, Social PsychologistDr Katharine Greenaway
Social Psychologist
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences
Katie Greenaway is a Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow in the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences. Katie’s research aims to understand the formation and consequences of social connections between people. In this work, she explores how our emotions shape our social connections with others, and how being more socially connected can improve individual health and wellbeing as well as group productivity and communication.
