Why do young people feel so lonely? 6 Minute English

Neil: Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English,

I'm Neil.

Sam: And I'm Sam.

Neil: And we are sitting here in New

Broadcasting House, in the middle

of London. Would you

say, Sam, that this is an isolated place?

Sam: Oh no, not at all. Isolated means

far away from other places and people.

Neil: Does that mean then, do you think,

that you can't be lonely here, with

all these people

around and all these things to do?

Sam: Ah, good question. Can you be

lonely in a crowd? Yes, of course,

I think you can

be because being lonely isn't about

physical isolation. I think you can be

lonely anywhere

if you feel that you are disconnected from

the world around you, if you feel that no

one understands you. If you are living

happily in isolation in The Scottish

Highlands, for example,

I'm sure you could feel lonely if

you came here to London.

Neil: Well, loneliness is today's topic.

The BBC has just completed a big survey

about it which we will learn more

about shortly. But first, of course,

a question: Where is

the most isolated inhabited place on the

planet - by which I mean the

place furthest away

from anywhere else with the fewest

people living there. Is it:

a) McMurdo Station in Antarctica,

b) Siwa Oasis in Egypt's Western Desert,

or is it c) the island of Tristan da Cunha

in the South Atlantic?

What do you think, Sam?

Sam: I've got absolutely no idea, so this

is just a guess - I think it's the one in

Antarctica. I'm going to go with that.

Neil: Well, we'll have the answer later on

in the programme. Loneliness is seen as a

big problem for the mental health of the

population, so much so that

the British government has

a minister for loneliness. But which age

group suffers most from loneliness.

Here is a BBC report about the research.

James Gallagher, BBC reporter: There is a

common stereotype that loneliness

affects only the old and the isolated.

It does, but this experiment also

shows that loneliness

is felt throughout life. People aged

between 16 and 24 experience

loneliness more often and more

intensely than any other age group.

Neil: So according to the research, Sam,

which section of society is most

affected by loneliness?

Sam: This might be a surprise,

but it's 16 to 24 year olds.

Neil: I was surprised by that because like

many, I would've guessed

that it was older people.

Sam: The reporter did say that that was a

stereotype. A stereotype is nothing to do

with stereo music, but it's the noun we

use to describe a very simple

and basic judgement

of someone and their character and

personality based on their age,

nationality, profession and so on.

So a stereotype of British people

is that we can't cook, we have bad teeth,

we are very reserved and never say

what we mean.

Neil: I don't know what you mean, my

cooking is wonderful, Sam.

And the stereotype is that

old people get lonely.

Sam: Much like the stereotypes of British

people, this may be true in some cases -

I've eaten some of your home-cooked

meals remember, Neil - but it's not true

for the majority.

It is young people who feel lonely

more often and more intensely.

Intensely here means strongly.

The feeling of loneliness is stronger in

young people than older people.

Neil: The reporter goes on to give some

explanation for why young people

might be more lonely.

James Gallagher, BBC reporter: Researchers

from the University of Manchester who

analysed the data, suggested feeling

lonely may plague the young because

it's a time of identity change.

Figuring out your place in the world

and of learning to regulate emotions.

Neil: He says that feeling lonely may

plague young people, what does

he mean there?

Sam: If you are plagued by something,

it means that it troubles you, it bothers

you and not just once,

it's something that happens

continually or repeatedly.

Neil: And he says this may be because

at that age we are still figuring out

our place in the world. We are trying

to understand the world and what

we are supposed to do with our lives.

Sam: He also suggests that younger

people have not yet learned how to

regulate their emotions, which is

another way of saying

to control their emotions.

Neil: Right. Time to review this week's

vocabulary, but before that let's

have the answer to the quiz.

I asked: Where is the most isolated

inhabited place on the planet? Is it:

a) McMurdo Station in Antarctica,

b) Siwa Oasis in Egypt's Western Desert

or c) the island of Tristan da Cunha

in the South Atlantic?

What did you say, Sam?

Sam: I said a).

Neil: Well, I'm afraid to say the answer is

actually c) the island of Tristan da Cunha

in the South Atlantic. It has a population

of fewer than 300 and it's only accessible

by a 6-day voyage by ship from South Africa.

Sam: So not a popular place for

a weekend break!

Neil: Indeed not. Now it's time for a recap

of our vocabulary. The first word was

isolated, which Tristan da Cunha certainly is.

It means far away from other

place and people.

Sam: Then there was stereotype the noun

for a simplistic view of person or group

based on their nationality, age,

profession and the like.

Neil: Intensely means strongly.

Sam: Being plagued by something means

it causes you problems and difficulties.

Neil: If you are trying to figure something

out, you are trying to understand it.

Sam: And to regulate something

means to control it.

Neil: Well, sadly, that's the end of the

programme. Hopefully you won't

feel too lonely without us,

remember we are always here

on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter,

YouTube, our App and of course

the website bbclearningenglish.com.

See you soon. Goodbye.

Sam: Bye!