America’s Intimacy Problem

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In recent years, Americans appear to be getting more and more uncomfortable with intimacy. Why? And is this trend reversible?

First, here are three new stories from The Atlantic:

• The GOP’s unworkable work requirements
• Why won’t powerful men learn?
• Just wait until Trump is a chatbot.

Disconnected People

When my colleague Faith Hill recently interviewed Michael Hilgers, a therapist with more than 20 years of experience, he painted a worrying picture of intimacy in America: “It’s painful to watch just how disconnected people are,” he said. Even when Hilgers can sense that clients to pursue deep social connections, “there’s a lot of confusion and fear in terms of how to get there,” he noted.