A retiree explains his path to achieve happiness and counter loneliness

 

A retiree explains his path to achieve happiness and counter loneliness. It can work at any age and doesn't cost a penny.

Story by asheffey@businessinsider.com (Ayelet Sheffey)  • 14h

• Joe Lamy, 75, says loneliness among older people is far too prevalent.
• He started a free group at his local senior center, where residents can gather and simply talk.
• When it comes to happiness, Lamy said, it's not about money — it's about relationships.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

"When his turn finally came to approach the counter, the pharmacist placed a pill bottle into a bag, stapled it, and tossed it into a box about eight feet away.

"Good shot," Lamy said to the pharmacist.

"Practice," she replied, and each of them carried on with their day.

While the interaction might have been insignificant to the pharmacist, it carried meaning for Lamy and shifted the course of his day.

"I didn't have to say anything, but I did," Lamy told Business Insider. "And it made me happy. She and I had this little moment, this tiny little moment."

These tiny moments signify the importance of what a Johns Hopkins 2015 research paper coined as "weak ties," which the New York Times previously described as "low-stakes relationships" that help people feel more connected to others that they might not know very well. A 2014 psychology study found that weak ties help make people happier and spark an increased sense of belonging.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE: A retiree explains his path to achieve happiness and counter loneliness. It can work at any age and doesn't cost a penny. (msn.com)

Loneliness is the state of distress or discomfort that results when one perceives a gap between one’s desires for social connection and actual experiences of it. - Psychology Today

Social Platforms like Second Life can help people make the connections they want in the manner in which they want to interact with others. The requirement to join Second Life are: System Requirements (secondlife.com) For most people, the requirements are as simple as an off the shelf reasonable computer or laptop. You can also just keep a "free" account, as well. 

Second Life gives all citizens a way to connect with others with similar interests around the world (globally), and the primary purpose is "connection" (i.e. not gaming)!