This approach sees social life as an intentional practice of self-shaping rather than something that comes easy from the start or always feels fun. We protect and expand our brains and ourselves through interacting with other people, even if it is exhausting at times.

People are more alone, though not necessarily more lonely.

The result is social atrophy : the shrinking of people’s social brains as they increasingly withdraw from others

A person experiencing social atrophy might not say “I am lonely” but rather, “I prefer to be alone” – or even in more dire cases: “people cannot be trusted.” They may no longer wish to share life with others

The value of social interactions, it turns out, is just one of the many things humans are not good at judging ahead of time.