Can naturism help cure loneliness?
As naturist communities evolve, how can we reclaim connection?
One in five adults now reports feeling lonely every day—a trend on the rise as “third places” like community centers, cafes, and parks become increasingly scarce. The decline of naturist spaces may be a microcosm of the larger problem as communities lose essential opportunities for connection. In this week’s #UndressedThread, we’re exploring whether naturist communities can help combat loneliness and foster the kind of meaningful connection people are seeking.
How important are naturist communities for building meaningful connections?
Could naturism be a solution to the loneliness epidemic?
What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments. 🪐
I would say it's a question mark. I am new to naturism and as my wife is not (currently) interested. As a single male at a naturist resort, you can be in for a lonely experience. Particularly you are new and are 'flying blind' so to speak.
For me, that solitude was actually a big part of what I was looking so it did not put me off. But with my second experience, it became a challenge I had to resolve. Fortunately a chance interaction provided the opening to connect with a lifelong naturist couple that was very welcoming and the second experience was a wonderful as the first.
If this is something put forward, my feedback here to the long time naturist community would be to interact with the persons flying solo. It does have to be to include them in all the time, a hello and brief conversation can do wonders.
One last item, loneliness is often linked to depression. So like so many things in life there are a lot more details here that really must be considered.
Nudism and Older Men: Loneliness, Connection, and the Comfort of Socializing Without Pretense
There’s something profoundly grounding about the act of being unclothed—not in the way of shock or sensationalism but in a quietly comfortable, unspectacular way that nudism offers. For older men, it often means finding a space that transcends clothing’s social markers. What we wear, how we’re perceived, what role we’re expected to play—these start to feel increasingly heavy as the years go by, perhaps especially for men who feel the weight of dwindling friendships, family connections, or diminishing physical strength. Nudism, for many older men, isn’t about exhibitionism or sexuality but instead provides an environment that feels reminiscent of a locker room: a place of camaraderie, routine, and acceptance that doesn’t require more than what you bring naturally.
The loneliness that often haunts men as they age is deeply rooted in society's pressures. Men have historically been encouraged to prioritize work, achievements, and productivity over forming close, meaningful relationships. That is, at least until the reality of aging strikes: retirement and less social interaction, the loss of a spouse or partner, or simply feeling out of step with a younger, faster-paced world. Nudist communities can be a balm for such isolation because they offer an antidote to loneliness by providing a straightforward, non-hierarchical space to connect.
It may seem counterintuitive to think of nudism—an activity that on the surface may appear vulnerable—as a source of comfort. But in truth, nudism for older men can be profoundly comforting, as it lets them simply be. In a nudist environment, older men can sit together without worrying about the facades that clothing can bring. Clothes often mark us by age, profession, and lifestyle, and, for many older men, clothes can serve as a way to hide the natural effects of aging. There’s no hiding or pretending in nudism; it’s just one man’s body beside another’s, as natural as two trees side by side.
This environment, this freedom from armor, allows for a form of socializing that men may remember from their younger years in locker rooms. Locker rooms—especially in the past—served as rare spaces where men could connect without much artifice. There, camaraderie formed over shared routines and rituals, a shared vulnerability, and physical closeness that was otherwise uncommon in their lives. Locker rooms were spaces where men were themselves, even with their imperfections and vulnerabilities. Nudist settings can provide a similar environment, one where talk of life, shared stories, laughter, and silence can fill the space just as they did before, only now with a bit more intention and appreciation for the connection.
Perhaps the most significant draw of nudism for older men is that it offers companionship without the need for words. Conversations in nudist environments are often straightforward, unburdened by status or bravado. Instead, they lean toward a shared understanding of the passage of time, the aches, and joys that come with age, or simply a shared moment of quiet. There’s a type of peace in knowing that everyone is in the same unembellished state.
In these spaces, older men can create a new sense of tribe. They gather not to compete or to impress, but to simply feel part of something larger than themselves. They come together because, in doing so, they escape the loneliness of isolated homes, the long hours of solitude, and, often, the sense that they are somehow "past" the age for meaningful social interaction.
Nudism for older men can ultimately become a ritual of sorts, a way to show up and be counted—not as a workforce, a breadwinner, or even a patriarch but simply as a person among others, no different, no better, no worse. For a man who may feel disconnected from the world, this simple act of coming together, of showing up without the layers of who he’s supposed to be, can be immensely healing.
In the end, nudism offers a version of socializing that’s free from pretense. It’s a space that older men, sometimes forgotten by society, can turn to as a means of finding the one thing that has perhaps eluded them their entire lives: connection for connection’s sake.