Hardly a week goes by, it seems, without some local article or radio show rehashing the trope of the now-mythical “Seattle Freeze.” I lived all over the country before landing in Seattle, and have never experienced people being so remarkably more unfriendly here, as some insist, than elsewhere.
That said, in an article in this Sunday’s Seattle Times, A Seattle visitor’s guidethey stated (after trotting out the “freeze” trope, of course) Seattle ranks #1 among American cities for loneliness, “with 45.8% of adults reporting feeling lonely sometimes, usually, or always.” Frankly, I found that astonishing. Since taking up partner dancing in 1998, I’ve never really felt at a loss for social interaction. I may be an outlier, as I require and revel in lots of alone time. But it’s downright painful to hear so many in our city feel so alone.
Loneliness has been in the news a lot lately (as in this story), with a 2023 Surgeon General’s report calling it “epidemic” and saying “social isolation increases the risk of premature death by 29 percent,” with its impact on our health equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes per day. People can “significantly improve their health” by reducing social isolation and, just as importantly as addressing our own loneliness, it’s essential for the health of our greater community that we reach out to others. I feel fortunate to have these built-in communities where, any night of the week, I can find connection through dance, and I’m taking this as a call to increase my efforts to connect with others who might be feeling isolated. I hope you will, too, and/or find a way to reach out if you’re the one feeling lonely.
See you on the dance floor. —Sean Donovan