Interesting thought, which seems logical, but I'm not sure it's enough. People can still be lonely around family or close friends, so to some degree it is seems situational. How do we explain the apparently inexorable rise of loneliness across the globe? Have deep relationships become less common or more difficult to achieve in the last half century? If it were that simple wouldn't we find it easier to resolve?
> Deep relationships should necessarily be uncommon
I don't think this follows. It's not that long ago that people most often lived in a small town or village and had deeper relationships with just about everyone. Partly because life and work constrained numbers and proximity and you knew most for much of your life.
I think it needs more than a close friendship. The true solution to loneliness is a lasting and intimate relationship with a romantic partner. That is something I believe has become truly hard to find.
> Deep relationships should necessarily be uncommon
I don't think this follows. It's not that long ago that people most often lived in a small town or village and had deeper relationships with just about everyone. Partly because life and work constrained numbers and proximity and you knew most for much of your life.