Why are we spending so much time at home?

Americans are spending more time at home these days, and the trend started before the pandemic. More of us are opting for the couch or kitchen table instead of going out with friends or joining community organizations.

While this isn’t news to the introverts among us, the trend does have some concerning implications. Too much alone time at home is leading to a rise in loneliness and an erosion of our social institutions. So this hour, we ask- are we becoming a country of homebodies? What do we lose when we’re all more homebound?

Our guests include Princeton University professor Patrick Sharkey, who recently published an article in Sociological Science titled, “Homebound: The Long-Term Rise in Time Spent at Home Among U.S. Adults.” We’re also joined by Marc Schulz, professor of psychology at Bryn Mawr College and associate director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. He’s the co-author of The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.