Human beings are inherently social creatures, having existed in close-knit hunter-gatherer groups for most of our 200,000-year history. Now we live in a world that is more connected than ever. 5 billion people have access to the internet. Revolutionary communication technologies like Facebook are free to use. These miracles should satiate our ancient need for community, right? Not quite. Paradoxically, loneliness is on the rise. There are many factors at play, but our increasingly virtual living has a lot to do with it. It’s often the same tools that allow people to interact anywhere at any time making them feel…

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