New psychology book reckons with separating solitude from loneliness

Solitude
Netta Weinstein, Heather Hansen and Thuy-vy T. Nguyen (Cambridge University Press)

In recent years, many of us have come to relate differently to the time we spend alone. The globally imposed lockdowns in response to the covid-19 pandemic abruptly curtailed many people’s social networks and sources of support. Some struggled and jumped to restart their social lives as soon as restrictions were lifted. But others found they flourished in solitude and never returned to their pre-pandemic levels of socialising.

The sudden shift and range of individual responses…