Why do young people feel so lonely? 6 Minute English

Improve your English vocabulary and speaking with 6 Minute English! There are nearly eight billion people on our planet - yet many of us feel alone and isolated. Neil and Sam from BBC Learning English discuss the results of a survey about loneliness involving 55,000 people from all over the world - and teach you new English vocabulary.

Download the transcript, audio and vocabulary here:

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝟔 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬:

𝐕𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲
𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 - far away from other places and people

𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐨𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞 - the noun for a simplistic view of person or group based on certain characteristics such as their nationality, age, profession and the like

𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲 - strongly

𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 - something causes you lots of problems and difficulties

𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 - trying to understand something

𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 - to control

[Cover: Getty Images]

#BBCLearningEnglish #LearnEnglish #6MinuteEnglish #lonely #loneliness

[SOHALEE]

When you get busy, you'll forget that you're being lonely, Actually.

[thuybui-qfbt]

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 years old.
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. nd 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!

[alfredng]

when u feel lonely, u should watch this video and read all the comments, u'll realise that u have a group of people with the same feeling, so that u won't be lonely anymore 😂😂

[eshuut]

I didn’t came here to learn English, I was interested about this subject lol xd

[ngoclanpham]

Sometimes loneliness plagues me, but there are times that i find being alone liberating and joyful.

[xdnhung]

Sometimes I find that being alone is not so bad cuz' I can do everything absolutely freely and I really enjoy it. I also like being at a café alone and focus on my work.Being lonely for me just only when you're in the crowd and you have to talk to the others but feel disconnected and don't know what to say.

[wvckbkr]

Most of young people feel lonely because they have no friends. It is important to learn how to talk with other, learn to make conversations and finally make friends. Its a main reason, in my opinion

[poojaashiwal]

Hi Neil, Sam and BBC team, I am writing to Thankyou for the efforts you guys put for us !!
Coming to the point, I had my Ielts exam today and had a relative topic in the writing component and this video was truly a savior!!! Thanks once again. So happy to come across this channel. 😇

[theanhdo]

Many people feel lonely because their life was terrible, they don't want to start new relationship with others :/, they are hurt 😐

[dmdusqi]

It’s important that people who are plagued by loneliness, don’t isolate yourself because it can turn into depression

[edisonguaman-jjsk]

The podcast is very interesting, because he tells us about the problem that loneliness is in the mental health of society.
For example, mentions its effect mainly on young people of 16 and 24 experience loneliness more often and more intensely than any other age group.
Other groups within society that suffer from depression at a lower level are the elderly.

[hifive]

I have been listening BBC learning English for two days... Specially 6 minutes English.. i am going to improve my listening skill very soon..
(Thanks BBC learning English)❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[oguzylmaz]

Loneliness is both good and bad. Sometimes you feel emotionally lonely even if there are a lot of people around. Some people prefer solitude, while others are uncomfortable with loneliness.

[nico_niconi]

Today is my second day improving my listening in English, thank you, I LOVE this podcast.

[BerenKaderfidan]

BBC Learning English is the best! I enjoy so much of your conversations! Because they are funny, in pure English and about daily topics. Thanks, great thanks!

[blessingsblessings]

Guys, we are not alone, God is with us everytime and everywhere

[karatasb]

Thanks for listening! Some days, I fell very lonelly and I m from Türkiye🇹🇷.Again thanks to this listening.❤️

[oanhoanh]

these videos improve my listening skills a lot, thx !

[RachelYongYT]

Thank you for talking and discussing about loneliness. Personally, I find it exceedingly vital to tackle this issue. If it's not taken care of or managed, it might bring upon onset of depression which I think is a silent killer.
Thank you, BBC.

[hongjizhao]

Thanks 6 minutes English! My English has improved since I began to listen to this program about 2 years ago.