Catholic psychologist reveals keys to overcome loneliness in a hyperconnected world

Loneliness has become one of the great silent ills of this century. This was recently noted by Pope Leo XIV during his homily in Pentecost, pointing out the paradox of living “always connected and, nevertheless, unable to establish links.”

To deepen this social problem, Ewtn News interviewed the Argentine psychologist Marcos Randen, a member of the Association of Catholic Psychologists Pharus, who explained that this reality affects people of all ages, without distinction.

“We live in the era of digital hyperconnectivity, and paradoxically in a deep loneliness. That can be present in the adolescent, in the young man, but also in adults or elderly. It is a problem that has no age that does not affect us all,” said Randen.

According to the expert, loneliness is not a merely emotional fact, but “a consequence of the culture in which we are immersed, with many of its ruined vital connections” and where “there is no emotional connectivity.”

The specialist stressed that not all loneliness is negative. There is a “good loneliness”, which allows internal growth and the formation of a balanced personality. But there is also a harmful loneliness, which manifests itself in emptiness, sadness and existential anguish.

How to face this challenge?: The “anchor” and the “focus”

Randen proposed two essential keys: the “anchor” and the “focus.” During childhood, he explained, personal security (anchoring) is located in external figures such as parents, while attention (focus) focuses on oneself. Upon reaching maturity, this dynamic should be invested: the anchor must be within oneself, while the focus must be directed towards others.

The problem, according to the psychologist, is that in today’s society many people are still looking for their external security – social recognition, success – and maintain their attention in themselves, which feeds isolation and loneliness.

“As a great resource in general to take into account, it is to be able to intervene in this regard: to ensure that our anchor is internal, that is, cultivate our interiority, of course from the psychological point of view, but also from the spiritual point of view. We all have that tendency to absolute, and if we do not cultivate this in interiority, then the emptiness grows in us, the loneliness, existential anguish,” he warned.

“And on the other hand, in addition to working and cultivating the internal anchor in the growth of our interiority, we must seek to go out to the other, focus on others. When one is able to do that, there the personality grows as a foam. This must be sought in young people, in adolescents and in us too,” he added.