Daily Blog: The Essence of Community

Loneliness, according to John Cacioppo, is not that different from hunger, thirst and pain – each of them signal a need for something important for survival. When a person feels lonely it is a signal for the “need for connection.”

This can occur in the middle of a busy city. Even when around a lot of people, a person can still “feel completely isolated.”

Cacioppo has co-authored a new book, Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection. In this book special attention is given to the way relationships affect physical health.

Those who care about the place where they live must give at least as much attention to the quality of connectedness in their community as to the quality of the infrastructure in their city.

Cacioppo gives an insightful interview in U.S. News and World Report, Feb. 2009, p. 83, in which he observes “perceived isolation is so much more important than physical isolation.”

The essence of authentic community must be “perceived connectedness.”