South Korean adults kill loneliness by keeping stones as pets: 'Sense of serenity'

A 30-year-old woman named Lee, a pharmaceutical researcher in the country, identified her pet stone as a girl and put eyes on the object, along with making a blanket with an old towel. (Representational Image).

A survey conducted by Harvard Graduate School of Education in September last year said that over one-third of Americans in the 18-25 age group felt lonely frequently.

The epidemic of loneliness does not seem to be restricted only to the western economies of the world and in a unique method to try and kill the feeling, adults in South Korea have decided to keep stones as pets to feel a sense of companionship, a South China Morning Post report said.

A 30-year-old woman named Lee, a pharmaceutical researcher in the country, identified her pet stone as a girl and put eyes on the object, along with making a blanket with an old towel. "I occasionally complain to my rock about what a tiresome day I have had at work," she told Wall Street Journal.

Another Korean woman from Seoul said that the stone, named "Bang-bang-i" (Korean for "jumping in happiness"), gave her a sense of serenity. "There was some sense of serenity, knowing that this natural rock had weathered a lot over the course of time to reach its current state," the 33-year-old woman, who tucks the stone in her pocket and takes it on walks and gym visits, said.

The story saw a lot of reactions on local Chinese media, some of whom recalled their own experience of keeping stones as pets.

"This trend reminds me of when I was a kid, I picked up a pebble from the river. I drew a face on it and dressed it up," one user wrote.

"This is pretty cute. I want to get one too," another user wrote.

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