The Heat of Loneliness
With loneliness and isolation on the rise, it is essential to foster human connection and trust. It will help address the urgent issue of climate change as well.
Recent reports of extreme heatwaves in Italy, Greece, Texas, and Arizona have left me wondering how to hold predictions about Climate Change in my thoughts. Jia Tolentino wrote about this feeling on July 10th for the New Yorker: What to do with Climate Emotions. A subgroup of Psychiatry now exists of ‘practitioners who recognize climate change as a major cause of distress and have developed methods for discussing and treating it.’ In her article, Tolentino interviews the therapist Leslie Davenport, who defines the dilemma, “the brain’s desire to resolve anxiety and distress often leads either to denial or fatalism: some people convince themselves that climate change is not a big deal, or that someone else will take care of it; others conclude that all is lost and there’s nothing to be done.” The middle ground Davenport pushes for her clients is one where they can ‘remain present and active in the midst of fear and grief.’ Finding that spot requires effort and being intentional. It also means acknowledging the severity of the situation while not allowing it to overwhelm you.
The record heat is the product of a collective abandonment of sustainability known as The Tragedy of the Commons. In short, it is when you have something held in common with others and there is a maximum point of sustainability. The original example is of an English pasture shared by farmers. If there are 10 farmers and the maximum grazing limit to maintain sustainability is 50 cows, no farmer can graze more than 5 cows. However, human nature being what it is, if one of the farmers decides it’s in their self-interest to graze more than 5, the others are inclined to follow suit. Soon the pasture collapses and no cattle can graze on it. Protecting the pasture requires a shared sense of human connection among the farmers. While this simple example is illustrative of the theory, it’s inadequate for defining the complexity of modern society. Technology in agriculture and energy has been a force multiplier. Fertilizers and pesticides applied to farms in the upper Midwest leads to a Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico. The carbon dioxide released by the 34 coal-fired power plants in Indiana does not stay in Indiana. The commons are now global.
Given the global nature of the challenge and the necessity of international cooperation to mitigate the damage caused by climate change, one might question the significance of individual experiences of loneliness and isolation. Eleanor Cummins and Andrew Zaleski wrote a Guest Essay for the July 14 New York Times titled ‘If Loneliness Is an Epidemic, How Do We Treat it?’ The article emphasizes the work of the behavioral neuroscientist Stephanie Cacioppo. After losing her husband John Cacioppo, a neuroscientist focused on love, she chronicled her own bout with loneliness in the 2022 memoir, “Wired for Love.” Cacioppo emphasizes the vital role of human connection, which is also evident in The Tragedy of the Commons. In order to establish, maintain, and enforce agreements, like those needed to curb Climate Change, a profound sense of human connection is imperative. People must come together, engage in discussions, find compromises, and act honorably. When agreements are violated, an enforcement mechanism becomes necessary; otherwise, collapse is inevitable for all those involved.
If loneliness is a choice, as Dr. Cacioppo believes, the elements for countering it are what she calls GRACE: gratitude, reciprocity, altruism, choice, and enjoyment. People have the power to choose to join groups and foster connections. However, even without an active choice, no one is truly isolated. As citizens of the world, our lives are interconnected with those around us. Our everyday activities such as eating, breathing, and wearing clothes involve connections to people in our neighborhoods and across the globe. Recognizing and expanding these connections is a crucial step toward alleviating loneliness and preventing the collapse of the commons.