An 81-year-old explains her simple solution to make sure loneliness doesn't become 'a way of life' — and what she thinks stands in the way of forming connections

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy
Patricia Backlund
Patricia Backlund, 81, started weekly "mingles" in her community to combat loneliness.

Patricia Backlund

I quit my $400,000 Morgan Stanley job to become a startup founder. Loneliness was the biggest challenge, but I don't regret it.

Tech Insider
headshot of man in front of the Golden Gate Bridge
Valeri Gervaziev left his role as an executive director at Morgan Stanley in 2022.

Courtesy of Valeri Gervaziev

A 63-year-old explains how Blue Zones helped him rethink his retirement plan to avoid his 'biggest fear' of loneliness

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy
Rear view of man standing on a dock
Ed, 63, not pictured, is taking steps to ensure he isn't lonely when he enters retirement.

keithsutherland/Getty Images

I moved to Europe thinking living and working there would be a dream come true. I wasn't prepared for the loneliness.

Tech Insider
Illustration of a woman sitting alone at a table.
When Kate Bettes went freelance, she wasn't prepare for how lonely she'd be.

soleil420/Getty Images

The surprising effects loneliness has on your brain and body

Tech Insider

Loneliness can create a chain reaction of serious health issues if not adequately addressed. Business Insider's Mia De Graaf breaks down what happens inside your body when you're lonely.

A 70-year-old who finally found a solution to a lifetime of loneliness says the friendships he's made are worth the cost

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy
Two older people walking outside.
Rick Grossman, 70, joined a senior village to help with his loneliness.

Moyo Studio/Getty Images

The key to happiness might be living within walking distance of a coffee shop

Tech Insider : Economy, Politics
Circus Cooperative Cafe is an employee-owned coffee shop, at 31 Putnam Avenue in Cambridge, MA.
Circus Cooperative Cafe is an employee-owned coffee shop in Cambridge, MA.

Pat Greenhouse/Getty Images

Casual friendships are dying out — and we're all worse off for it

Tech Insider : Economy
Man surrounded by fragmented and cracked geometric shapes, each containing people inside
Casual friendships are key to our emotional lives, but these "fringe friends" are slowly disappearing.

Seba Cestaro for BI

Nikol Moses felt the itch to head somewhere new.

A retiree explains his path to achieve happiness and counter loneliness. It can work at any age and doesn't cost a penny.

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy
Old man walking outside
Joe Lamy, 75, found a solution to counter the loneliness epidemic among older people.

Abraham Gonzalez Fernandez/ Getty Images

Uber and Lyft drivers say they do it for more than the money: It makes them less lonely.

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy
uber lyft drivers
Mark McCann (left), Dean Ceran (middle), and Jason McConahy (right) said they've benefited from the social interactions that can come with Uber and Lyft driving.

Mark McCann (left), Dean Ceran (middle), Jason McConahy (right)

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