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The Indicator from Planet Money · September 2, 2024 · 10m
The Friendship Recession: An Economic Indicator
The Indicator explores the 'friendship recession' — a 30-year decline in close friendships, especially among American men. They frame loneliness as an economic problem: lonely people are less productive, use more healthcare, and earn less.
This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.
Canon
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The team connects the friendship recession to the Harvard Grant Study finding that relationships are the strongest predictor of life satisfaction, arguing that the measurable decline in friendships predicts a measurable decline in national wellbeing.
Highlights
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Loneliness is an economic problem — lonely workers are less productive, more absent, and more likely to quit
The team presents data showing that loneliness costs employers $154 billion annually in absenteeism alone. Lonely workers take more sick days, are less engaged, and turn over faster. The friendship recession is a labor productivity problem.Was this useful?