Loneliness has increased dramatically over the past few decades, is as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and is only a problem in individualistic countries. At least, that’s what you might think when you read recent reports on the topic. But according to psychologist Luzia Heu (Utrecht University) much of the reporting is highly exaggerated and oversimplified. On the festival, she debunks some of the myths about loneliness and explains how these misunderstandings prevent us from getting to the bottom of the problem. What causes loneliness and what can we do about it?