In The Lonely American, Jacqueline Olds and Richard Schwartz write, “Talking about loneliness in America is deeply stigmatized. We see ourselves as a self-reliant people who do not need to whine about neediness. If a person is going to complain, far better to complain about what someone has done to him (abuse, coercion, rejection) or what diagnoses and addictions he is saddled with; to wistfully describe how lonely he feels is not socially acceptable.”
