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The one simple trick to social cohesion? Trust your neighbours more than your MP
Read the full Spinoff story about the importance of regular face-to-face interaction. At a gathering of global religious, political and cultural experts in Singapore this week, one action has been cited over and over as a key to social harmony. At the International...
Meet the members of the Dull Men’s Club: ‘Some of them would bore the ears off you’
A fun club which started as a joke is now incredibly popular, with online branches all over the world. The Dull Men’s Club, founded by Grover Click (a pseudonym chosen for its dullness) in New York in the early 1980s, involved some very silly, dull activities. They...
Help Me Hera: How do I make friends with New Zealanders?
Dear Hera, I’m not from New Zealand, but I’ve been here for almost three years. In that time I’ve met plenty of fun and charming Kiwis but haven’t really made that many local friends. Often, I’ll meet a Kiwi and it feels like we’re connecting, there’ll be shared...
Heavy ChatGPT users tend to be more lonely, suggests research
Heavy users of ChatGPT tend to be lonelier, more emotionally dependent on the AI tool, and have fewer offline social relationships, new research suggests.
Professor Ngaire Kerse: 7 ways to combat loneliness
Professor Ngaire Kerse, Chair in Ageing WellFaculty of Medical and Health Sciences at Auckland University, says we need to treat ourselves as we would a friend in need.
What does the ‘loneliness epidemic’ look like in NZ?
Read the full Spinoff story about the impacts of social isolation and loneliness here in Aotearoa.