'Epidemic of loneliness': Young adults are spending thousands to make friends

The loneliness is triggered by an important chunk of the young adults' lives being spent outside shared spaces such as classrooms and offices, say experts. (Representational image: Pixabay)

Over a third of Americans aged 18 to 25 reported feeling lonely frequently, almost all the time, a recent survey conducted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education found. After the pandemic, many young Americans have been spending an important chunk of their adult lives outside shared spaces such as classrooms and offices -- where offline relationships are usually formed -- triggering what the US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has called an "epidemic of loneliness."

To cope with this, Gen Z has been spending thousands of dollars on various memberships and events to make friends and maintain connections, Business Insider reported.

One among such young adults is Lynette Ban who moved from New York to Austin during the pandemic to save money while working remotely. Now, however, she has been spending heavily on trying to make friends.

The 26-year-old spends at least $500 (about Rs 42,000) on a social club membership and a gym program. She also hundreds of dollars on eating out with her friends and connections.

"I started prioritising, post-pandemic, more of these clubs and joining these organisations where I can meet new people and build a network that way," Ban told Business Insider.

William Cabell, 24, shells out $70 (about Rs 5,800) a month for a membership at a rock-climbing gym and another $161 (about Rs 13,400) at a jujitsu gym -- all to meet new people.

"In order to make friends, you need regularity, and I have found that an investment stake is a good way to elicit that from both myself and others," the software engineer told Business Insider. "If you pay for something, you'll show up to it."

Cabell said he's increased his spending on social activities after struggling to make friends at work.

"These types of activities ease the process of making friends more so than free activities because they tend to be more structured. Basically, you're stuck together with everyone else there and forced into new social situations," he told the publication.

But Cabell and Ban aren't the only ones driving up memberships of such social clubs and gyms.

"An increased focus on health and wellness and the strong desire for IRL (in real life) connection are two large factors that are driving the demand and our membership growth with this generation," Kelly Lohr, Orangetheory's chief marketing officer, told Business Insider.

Speaking to the publication, Rebecca Schweiger, the founder of The Art Studio NY, said that Gen Zers are "attending classes regularly to fulfill the need for community and connection." Younger adults are now increasingly coming alone seeking comradery in addition to personal fulfillment, she said.

"It's quite typical for students, adult students, to make friends, to socialise together, to first get to know each other in the class setting and then to get together outside of classes," Schweiger added.

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