The Case for Parties

Only 4% of Americans went to a party last weekend.

That stat—flagged in Ellen Cushing’s “Americans Need to Party More”—has been tugging at me since she posted in January. I’m still, well, obsessed and depressed about it. So, let’s do something.

How little we’re getting together:

• Just 4% go to a party on a typical weekend (American Time Survey 2023)

• We’re spending 58% less time with friends than a decade ago. (6.5 -> 2.8 hours/week)

• The slide started before COVID- friend-hours fell 37% between 2014 and 2017

Why this matters:

• Loneliness and isolation raise your risk of premature death by 26-29%- same hit as 15 cigarettes a day (U.S. Surgeon General)

• The % of adults with no close friends has quadrupled since 1990

• Face-to-face time “eclipses every virtual substitute” in lifting mood

• And frankly, life without parties is just kind of disappointing (well said on this Reddit post, also mentioned in the Atlantic article)

So, this is my attempt to encourage you / me / anyone to throw a party- and to understand what’s getting in our way. That doesn’t mean a bash. Order in pizza. Break out Catan. Have a few friends over. Let’s bring people together, in real life.

I’ll be sharing weekly inspiration, low-pressure ideas, and resources to go from “we should hang” to “come over Saturday”- and I’ll ask for some input along the way. If you’d like to stay in the loop- or send to a friend (parties do happen in groups!)- you can sign up here.

Happy Summer and Happy Partying.

Cheers,

Jord

Key Articles - Americans Need to Party More - The Atlantic US Surgeon General Advisory The Friendship Recession - Harvard Leadership & Happiness Laboratory 

Note- 2024 ATUS data drops in June. We’ll update / share insights as soon as we can.