Last month, The Washington Post ran an opinion essay titled “Americans are choosing to be alone. Here’s why we should reverse that.” In it, the economist Bryce Ward writes that in-person time with friends has fallen precipitously across demographic groups since 2013. I’m not convinced this shift itself is worrisome, at least not yet. On the first point, perhaps Americans are spending less time with friends because we’re simply exhausted. At the end of a random Tuesday, I want to be in my soft pants watching old episodes of “Snapped.” I don’t want to get dressed, leave my house, sit upright or have an in-depth conversation — really nothing to do with political polarization.

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