Why Do We Push Each Other Away?

Since around 2018, scientists have warned of a quiet epidemic: the collapse of social connection.We live in an age of disconnection—where everyone seems close, yet no one truly sees us.Human beings are wired for relationships, yet ironically, it is what we struggle with the most.

When no one seems to look at us, the heart begins to close.Loneliness twists perception. It makes us suspicious, defensive, afraid of touch and intimacy.We start believing we are unworthy of attention, sinking deeper into isolation.As Giovanni Frazzetto wrote in Together, Closer, “Loneliness becomes a filter of deception—it distorts the world we see.”We define ourselves through the eyes of others, but when that mirror fades, our sense of self fractures.

Harvard’s 85-year study proves that the quality of our relationships is the strongest predictor of happiness and health.Yet the WHO warns that one in four people worldwide now suffer from chronic loneliness—a condition that weakens the immune system and increases the risk of depression and addiction.

Healing begins in the smallest gestures: a kind word, a moment of eye contact, a smile that says, I see you.Connection is not a luxury—it’s our nature, our medicine, our way back to being human.