Why do young people feel so lonely? Listen to 6 Minute English - YouTube
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!
