Loneliness is as Harmful as Smoking - David Robson on Social Connection

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts221/v4/a8/eb/8f/a8eb8f44-81df-0ca5-fe21-7e0f24262383/mza_17834229902524279489.png/600x600bb.jpg

Middle Man

Paul Sutton

44 episodes

3 months ago

From the outside my life looked wonderful. I had an amazing wife, three great kids, a beautiful house in the countryside and a successful consultancy business. But on the inside, I was deeply unhappy. I felt trapped by the very life that I had designed. I felt that I had no sense of purpose. And I’d lost all sense of who I was or what my place in the world was.
But what I’ve discovered since is that it needn’t be this way. Middle Man is the show for midlife men and the people who love them. It helps midlife men to rediscover themselves and to embrace the second half of life with positivity, enjoyment and purpose.
So if you’re a midlife man with a creeping sense of unease and unhappiness that you can’t put your finger on, if you feel unappreciated and isolated, or if you’ve looked around at your life and thought “is this really it?”, then Middle Man is the show for you. Join me on a shared journey of self-discovery.

All content for Middle Man is the property of Paul Sutton and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Loneliness is as Harmful as Smoking - David Robson on Social Connection

Middle Man

57 minutes 43 seconds

9 months ago

Loneliness is as Harmful as Smoking - David Robson on Social Connection

Loneliness among midlife men is at epidemic levels. One in five men report having no close friends, and loneliness is reported to be as bad for you as smoking or drinking excessively. Some argue that it is more dangerous than cancer due to the sheer number of people it impacts and its mental and physical effects.

David Robson is the author of the book Laws of Connection, which explores why social connection matters even more than we thought, and how to build better relationships and improve our lives. This week, Paul talks to David about the science of human connection, why so many people, men in particular, struggle to form deep friendships, and how societal norms contribute to this.

David explains key psychological concepts from his book including creating shared realities and the liking gap, which causes people to underestimate how much others like them. He also discusses prioritising honesty over kindness to form deeper, more meaningful relationships.

For anyone feeling disconnected or unsure how to deepen their social bonds, David offers actionable insights and practical strategies grounded in psychology to overcome social anxiety, build confidence in social situations and foster stronger relationships.
---------------
Buy the book Laws of Connection on Amazon.

If you’ve found this episode insightful or interesting, you can support the show at www.ko-fi.com/middlemanpodcast

I'd love to hear about your experiences, so if you'd like to get in touch email me at paul@middlemanpodcast.com and let me know what's on your mind or sign up to the newsletter at www.middlemanpodcast.com

Middle Man on Instagram: @middleman__podcast

Middle Man on Facebook: @middlemanpodcast

You can read the full transcript for this episode at www.middlemanpodcast.com/transcript-loneliness