Loneliness is a universal experience that we've all had at one point or another. What's so interesting about loneliness is how we react to it and how the cultures we grew up with direct that reaction. 

This week we're talking about loneliness culture - the places, services, practices, and traditions that govern how we deal with loneliness, as well as the cultural norms that often signal to us what contexts it's "acceptable" to be alone in or not. We take a look at how the Eastern world has approached being alone, from tables for one to rentable companions. Then we explore how the Western world treats loneliness as an individual issue, how difficult it is to forge new connections especially in our adult years, and the impact this loneliness has on the mental health of our populations.

Feeling alone? Join us to get to know your loneliness a little better. And as always, you can always reach out to us and our community if you're ever feeling alone :). Email us at [email protected] or engage with us on Instagram at @whereareyoufrompod

**Podcasters' Note / Correction as of 3.29.21: In this episode we mention "Ellen" Page because we pre-recorded the episode prior to his publicly coming out as Elliot Page in mainstream media. We appreciate the listener who brought this to our attention so we could make this correction.