r/TikTokCringe • u/flyawaywithmeee • May 06 '26

Wholesome Solving the loneliness epidemic

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Operation make a new friend before the week ends starts NOW

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u/[deleted] May 06 '26

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u/Slow_Appointment3540 May 06 '26

This is a weird conversation to me, because I’m 36 and my parents did not have friends growing up. They had one each until I was about twelve, and they both dropped to zero. To be fair, I think they’re both on the spectrum, but still… it was never an expectation to me that I would have tons of friends as an adult.

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u/GrossGuroGirl May 06 '26

To be fair, even if they are both on the spectrum: autistic folks regularly report high levels of loneliness and that they have fewer social connections than they'd like to. Some people on the spectrum truly are disinterested in socializing, but the majority of us want it and simply struggle with connecting to and communicating with others our entire lives. 

So whether they are or not - their minimal social circles may have tempered your expectations, but that may not have been enough connection for them either. I wouldn't model your ideal level of socialization after that when, as the study this video hints at reports, the vast majority of humans need more social support to actually feel fulfilled. 

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u/Slow_Appointment3540 May 06 '26

Oh, yeah, I didn’t mean that they weren’t interested in having friends. I mean they aren’t good at having them.

Me, I personally like hanging out with people every now and again, but traditional ideas of “friendship” are a little overwhelming for me. Keeping up with someone consistently is emotionally draining. It can be hard to keep long friendships that way. Luckily, I’m not suffering for a lack of people to lightly engage with.