I struggled to make and keep friends as a millionaire. Now, I can only connect with other wealthy people.

Tech Insider : Business
Lane Kawaoka
The author is a millionaire who struggled with friendships at first.

Desmond Centro for BI

This essay is part of Lonely at the Top, a series that examines the link between wealth and loneliness.

I moved home after a breakup and felt like a failure. Joining a gym helped me find my partner and make close friends.

Tech Insider : Business
A woman sitting outside
Katie McDonald, 29, moved back home after a breakup when she was 22. She joined a luxury gym with the money she saved.

Katie McDonald

A millennial and a Gen Zer went to a no-phones party in New York City. Our nerves gave way to magic.

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Two women raise their arms overhead in merriment at a rooftop party with the Empire State Building piercing the skyline behind them.
Your dedicated reporters turned in this story at 3 a.m. You're welcome.

Kamden Haynes

I struggled with loneliness when I became an empty nester. I found new hobbies, got a dog, and started traveling.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Justine Martin standing on a balcony and smiling.
Justine Martin struggled with loneliness when she became an empty nester.

Courtesy of Justine Martin

Parenting is hard for everyone, so I've decided to stop faking it when others ask how I'm doing

Tech Insider : Business
A mom holds her baby.
Even if she had only had a few hours of sleep and the house was a mess, the author (not pictured) would usually say, "I'm good," when others asked how she was. Then, one day, she gave a real answer.

d3sign/Getty Images

I thought I'd save money living as a digital nomad, but managing finances on the move was unexpectedly stressful — and I was lonely.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
Matt Lillywhite in front of the Sydney Opera House
Lillywhite now lives with his family in Dorset, England.

Courtesy of Matthew Lillywhite

I was horribly lonely in my mid-20s. Then I realized: I was a boring, flaky friend.

Tech Insider : Business, Economy
Woman holding cat
It took me time to become someone who throws my cat birthday parties.

Julia Pugachevsky

Seoul's $322 million gambit to save the city from crushing loneliness won't fix the source of its problems

Tech Insider : Business, Environment
People sitting before the city skyline and Han River in Seoul.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said in October that it would be pouring 451.3 billion won, or $322 million, to combat the loneliness epidemic gripping the city.

Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

I'm a Gen Z venture capitalist who felt lonely working from home. I started ballroom dancing despite feeling nervous and it changed my life.

Tech Insider
Charlott Page in a blue sparkly dress, competing at a ballroom competition with her coach Gian DiFranco.
Charlotte Page took up ballroom dancing earlier this year. It's improved her physical and mental health, and allowed her to make many friends.

Charlotte Page/ Starpoint Dancesport

The hidden value of a college degree: Graduates are much more likely to have friends

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy
college graduate smiling while being surrounded by friends
College graduates have more friends than people without degrees, according to a Survey Center on American Life survey.

Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI

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