Feeling Lonely? There’s an App for That

The phone rang; a woman answered. Our awkward opening was brief. “This is my first time,” I said. “I’m not sure how this is supposed to go.” She said she’d be happy to listen.

I’d just pressed a button in an app on my phone. The app’s red screen was cheerful, outdoorsy—there were smiling, hip campers on a mountaintop at sunset. The woman on the other end sounded young, but told me she had a daughter in college and a son, asleep upstairs. I started to talk about the breakup. I told her about the new roommate arriving soon, because my ex didn’t move in. I was calm, curious, and doubtful that I could condense years into 45 minutes. But I’d try. 

She sounded friendly—like a therapist, kind of. But she was not a licensed psychologist or social worker, and didn’t pretend to be. She was just a person making extra money helping strangers. Of the nearly 2,500 “givers” like her, most are freelancers in creative careers—actors, musicians, writers. Some are teachers, or retirees. I was not in crisis—not suicidal, manic, or psychotic—which was good, since this call was not for mental health emergencies. If I’d spoken