How loneliness affects our politics

Renee Simone in Just add water, a movie about loneliness

Seven months past the November election, Trump supporters are still talking a big game about an electoral ‘mandate.’ Justifying their actions under Trump’s largely unconstitutional Executive Orders, cabinet members sing a constant chorus about Trump’s November “landslide” and voter “blowout.” His spokes-child repeats the phrase, “President Trump’s resounding mandate” ad nauseum, brandishing the mantra like a talisman that makes critics disappear.

But counting by the Electoral College vote or the popular vote, it was anything but. November election results reflect a nation nearly split down the middle, with 49 % voting for Trump and 48%% voting for Harris.

If there is any insight to be had about why the US is now veering dangerously close to fascism, the most pressing—but under-analyzed—question isn’t why people voted how they did, but why a plurality of qualified voters didn’t bother to vote at all. Trump won 77,304,184 votes compared to Harris’ 75,019,616, but an even greater number than either candidate won- 90,000,000 qualified voters- stayed home. We need, urgently, to understand why.

Voter disengagement may be personal more than political

Scholars are now examining loneliness as an independent predictor of electoral abstention. Loneliness is defined clinically as a subjective perception of a misalignment between one's expectations and the actual state of social relationships. Researchers at MIT report that political participation becomes less likely among people who suffer from loneliness due to alienation from society, real or perceived.

An in-depth 2021 study of voting patterns and mental health concluded that loneliness is associated with a reduced sense of the duty to vote, and correlates with lower voter turnout, concluding that, indeed, “loneliness is associated with political disengagement.” Strong empirical evidence suggests that “lonely individuals tend to feel detached from society and are less likely to feel obligated to participate” in civic functions, including the electoral process.

The US is not alone in this finding. Recent studies report an association between perceived loneliness and reported voter turnout in several representative samples from all around Europe.

The youth factor: more online presence, more loneliness, less civic engagement

Gen Z is chronically online, reflecting increased social isolation and loneliness. Living in a hyper-connected online culture, young people report high levels of loneliness, anxiety and disconnection, with nearly a third of Gen Z respondents reporting that they “always” feel lonely. These feelings manifest in low voter turnout: over half, despite youth-correlated concerns over climate change regardless of political affiliation, didn’t bother to vote at all in November.

Extensive research shows that problematic social media use causes youth to disengage from social interactions, civic duties, and political engagement. A recent poll in Singapore found that significant cohorts of young adults aged 21 to 34 experience higher levels of loneliness compared to older demographics. These same youths also prefer online communication to in-person interactions, reinforcing the conclusion that social media usage perpetuates a habit of digital isolation.

In all voter age groups, loneliness and social isolation are highly correlated with low interpersonal trustand reduced political agency, defined as the extent to which a person thinks their vote matters. The same studies report that lonely individuals are more inclined to engage in risk-taking behaviors, which may explain why, for those who did vote, Trump’s J6 attempted coup may not have deterred them.

Just Add Water

In delightfully quirky “Just add water,” a movie about loneliness, a 32 year old woman searches for human connection. Dancing alone in her room and taking out personal ads to meet new friends, she explores the complexities of modern loneliness. Her isolation and search for genuine connection manifest in misfit humor, like trying too hard, or making weird noises when you meet someone. The movie resonates with anyone who has ever been lonely and wondered if they are normal.

Indie film-maker Renee Simone is a young, black Princeton grad. She owns her loneliness. She said she “directed this film after several profound experiences of loneliness. Loneliness felt embarrassing, like I had somehow failed.” The movie opens with her alone on a beach, lighting candles on a birthday cake for one. As she moves through one uncomfortable social attempt after another, her mainstay is a virtual pet named Molly. Molly, a blue goldfish, thanks her for the fish food, and tells her goodnight as she closes her laptop.

One marvels that a filmmaker so young can so readily laugh at her own pain. But in making the movie, Simone said she learned how common, and just how modern, loneliness is. “In talking with others, I realized how common the experience (of loneliness) is for many people. I wanted to create this film to express the nuances of these feelings that we don’t often like to share, and at the same time show the beauty within each of us and our potential to reconnect with one another and ourselves.” If only young people would get offline and show up in person, that is.

I’ve watched “Just add water” a couple times. It made me cry, but it also gave me hope. If a filmmaker so young can laugh at her own loneliness, and recognize it as impermanent, maybe we can laugh at our ridiculous date with extremism, realizing that it, too, is only temporary. As lonely people begin to understand that their online presence is robbing them of life and connection, maybe they will put down their devices and save themselves, just in time to save our country.

Sabrina Haake is a 25+ year federal trial attorney specializing in 1^st and 14^th A defense. Her Substack, The Haake Take, is free.