A Solution for Loneliness: Get out and volunteer, research suggests

Re:A Solution for Loneliness: Get out and volunteer, researc... by hangonhn on Tuesday May 21, 2019 @01:44PM (#19972592)

Some churches and most volunteer organizations have one thing in common: altruistic people . That's not to say there aren't annoying people involved but I've made some excellent friends via volunteering because those organizations don't have much of an appeal to jerks. Also a shared purpose can help bridge some gaps and initiate contact between people. The number of organizations that can use people skilled in STEM is quite high. It doesn't even have to be directly related to our profession. Even understanding algebra is good enough for many mentoring/tutoring organizations. One organization I was involved with for years told me that just showing up on time every week was pretty damn good for the students I mentored because they so rarely get a stable adult relationship in their lives. All that to say that if you're on HN, you have a lot to offer and maybe get some great friendships in return.

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Re:A Solution for Loneliness: Get out and volunteer, researc... by c0nsumer on Tuesday May 21, 2019 @02:27PM (#19973173)

I would posit that it's almost best if your volunteering is not really related to your profession at all. This keeps it fresh and interesting.

I started riding bikes about 11 years ago and volunteering about 10. I've met a LOT of people, made some good friends, and after accomplishing some goals felt a nice sense of achievement that work stuff just doesn't quite get me. Pretty sure I'm a better person than I was 10 years ago, and the social and community aspects of volunteering stuff are almost guaranteed to be a big part of that.

(Note: Long-time lead-type IT person here who volunteers as a board member, trail builder, and map maker for a local mountain biking group. What I do at work is helpful for the volunteer stuff, but as it's not related it's something neat that I look forward to; not just more work.)

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Re:A Solution for Loneliness: Get out and volunteer, researc... by tdb7893 on Tuesday May 21, 2019 @02:22PM (#19973117)

I would agree with the caveat it really depends on the church and organization. From growing up I'm definitely familiar with people in churches acting very petty and I assume non profits are the same.

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Re:A Solution for Loneliness: Get out and volunteer, researc... by User23 on Tuesday May 21, 2019 @02:13PM (#19973003)

Both churches and non-profits are actually jerk magnets. Why? Because jerks know they can buffalo the altruistic majority to gain power in and eventually control over the organization.

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Re:A Solution for Loneliness: Get out and volunteer, researc... by m463 on Tuesday May 21, 2019 @04:36PM (#19974666)

altruistic people... with a little time on their hands.

I'm not saying there are not busy people who volunteer or go to church, but I think there's a "have time and patience" factor associated with it.

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Re:A Solution for Loneliness: Get out and volunteer, researc... by weberc2 on Tuesday May 21, 2019 @05:06PM (#19975052)

> I'm not saying there are not busy people who volunteer or go to church, but I think there's a "have time and patience" factor associated with it.

The average Churchgoer works full time and has a family. They don't have time for Church, they make time for it. It's all about priorities.

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Re:A Solution for Loneliness: Get out and volunteer, researc... by User23 on Wednesday May 22, 2019 @02:16AM (#19978292)

We just believe that giving the supreme master of the universe 1/168th of our time isn't too much to ask. Anyone who believes there is such a being who loves us won't balk at that commitment. Anyone who doesn't, well, I guess they can stare at a glowing rectangle an extra hour a week. Enjoy!

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