MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
People across the country are socially isolated and reporting that they're experiencing loneliness at unprecedented levels. And some of the loneliest people are people in their teens and 20s. NPR's Katia Riddle has been looking for places where people are beating this loneliness trend. Today, she brings us this report on one effort to help some of America's young adults feel more connected.
KATIA RIDDLE, BYLINE: Loneliness is an issue that can bleed into nearly all aspects of a person's life, including dating. Josh Penny works for Hinge, the dating app.
JOSH PENNY: As a brand that focuses on Gen Z, we were really alarmed to learn about just how much the loneliness epidemic was impacting them.
RIDDLE: Penny is the director of social impact at the company. Hinge's interest in helping Gen Z is not just altruistic. Penny says when people are lonely, they don't have as much success dating.
PENNY: When a romantic relationship is the only outlet that you think you have to find connection, you end up putting a lot of expectations on that romantic relationship.
RIDDLE: People who don't have strong social circles, he says, end up bringing long checklists of needs to a potential partner. It's too much for one relationship to bear. Hinge turned to the Foundation for Social Connection. Jillian Racoosin is the executive director at the research group. Her organization has also been studying this demographic.
JILLIAN RACOOSIN: We're seeing a reduction of things like social groups, clubs, engagement in clubs, third spaces and communities for people to gather.
RIDDLE: Third spaces where people get together that's not work or school, Racoosin says those are diminishing in American life, especially for young people. Young adults today spend nearly 1,000 fewer hours with friends in person per year than young people did in 2003. That's according to the surgeon general. Racoosin's group partnered with Hinge to create the One More Hour initiative.
RACOOSIN: And this goes back exactly to where the One More Hour project came from, right? And it's even in the title, one more hour, right? Can we spend one more hour together?
RIDDLE: The project is an effort to foster real-life connections of any kind, not just romantic. Racoosin says it's unrealistic to think we can return to a society where people aren't absorbed in their phones or working remotely. But even a small amount of time spent IRL - in real life - can make a big difference for young people, like Genesy Mendez (ph).
GENESY MENDEZ: I felt like it was just harder to get together, and even more so during and after the pandemic.
RIDDLE: Mendez is in her 20s. She's an elementary school teacher. Even before the pandemic, she says, she was an anxious kid and lacked confidence when it came to socializing.
MENDEZ: I think part of it was the perception of myself or, like, how I was perceived by other people. I felt like I was very hard on myself.
RIDDLE: Mendez joined up with Intrsxtn Surf in LA. It's a group specifically for women of color who are interested in surfing. It's one of a number of initiatives that received a small grant from One More Hour. They've invested $1 million this year in these kinds of interest groups. Others include things like filmmaking or reading clubs. Mendez was excited to join the surfing club, but it still wasn't easy.
MENDEZ: Oh, my gosh. I was beyond nervous the first time.
RIDDLE: But after she got over her initial nerves, the surf group was a tonic. She felt seen by the other people in it. The teachers made an effort to get to know her.
MENDEZ: The other thing that I found so profound, and it may be something so subtle or so small, is remembering our names, just knowing who we are.
RIDDLE: Mendez says sharing those experiences with other people helped her build real friendships. About that same time, she met her partner independently of surfing.
MENDEZ: So it's not necessarily something that my partner wants to engage in, but that's OK.
RIDDLE: It's OK he doesn't surf, she says, because the two of them do lots of other things together. Surfing is something just for her and her friends.
Katia Riddle, NPR News.
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