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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Politics
Celina Ribeiro

‘There’s a lot of silence’: have we created a new ‘Lonely Generation’?

A businessman walks alone across a large white sphere against an orange background

In September, a Reddit user identifying themselves as a 25-year-old man turned to the r/ForeverAlone subreddit with a question: How do you deal with touch starvation? “It’s becoming obvious to me that I’ll probably be alone forever,” he wrote. He used to be worried about missing out on sex, but now he just misses hugs. Cuddles.

“I don’t have many friends and none with that kind of physical relationship. I don’t really hug family either anymore. Some days, I feel so desperate for a hug with someone I love.”

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