An account of loneliness after moving to London eight years ago struck a chord with Independent readers this week, after new research found one in ten Britons have no close friends at all, with the problem worse among younger adults than any other age group.
But while many readers sympathised, a striking number pushed back against the idea that a lack of close friends is something to fix at all. Some of the strongest reactions insisted solitude isn’t a symptom of a “friendship recession” but a preference people actively choose – a life with fewer entanglements, less small talk, and more room to think.
