As we've gotten older I've noticed that in many of the social networks of my friends (male in particular) have become a shell of what they used to be. Whilst this could be a quality over quantity scenario, and this is arguably part of the reason, I see something else far more destructive is that many are falling into what is described as 'The Loneliness Epidemic'. In a world where we feel connected by the mirage created through the digital world many of us often feel less connected than ever because digital connection is a poor substitute for connection another human in real life. In this episode I reflect on a number of social gatherings I've recently hosted, my observations of social dynamics over the last 10-15 years and how I think we ought to apply game theory to our networks rather than the default tit-for-tat strategy so many of us fall into.