The fears that technology would isolate us from the rest of our community isn’t a new concept.

People weren’t going to leave the house because they had to listen to the radio. Or television was so interesting that staying home was all the entertainment we’d ever need.

Many are concerned now about a similar effect coming about because of social media.

Are we spending too much time by ourselves, and is that increasing our loneliness? And what consequences could result from that loneliness?

To understand it better, we spoke with Julianne Holt-Lunstad. She is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at BYU.