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# One Sunday Idea: Loneliness, Obesity, and GLP-1s
- URL: https://paulkedrosky.com/one-sunday-idea-loneliness-obesity-and-glp-1s/
- Published: 2026-11-08T16:36:21.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-08T16:36:21.000Z
- Author: Paul Kedrosky

Most of us have **too much to read**, much of it **duplicative noise**, roo much of it about **AI and markets**, so something we try to do on weekends is find one thing that **rotates our cognitive axes**, making us think about the world differently.

A **new** [**paper**](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03014460.2026.2748535) from Herman Pontzer and colleagues looks at the **unintended consequences of GLP-1** drugs. Specifically, they are interested in societal consequences of GLP-1s, like potentially exacerbating **the loneliness epidemic** given the deep role that **food plays in socializing**. 

The underlying framework is one of **evolutionary mismatches** in three areas: **diet**, **activity**, and **socializing**. These drugs **touch directly** on all three, sometimes in unpredictable ways, as the authors argue.

![](https://paulkedrosky.com/content/images/2026/11/CleanShot-2026-11-08-at-08.28.14.jpg)

One way to think about this, in particular with loneliness, is that we built **social life around food**, and now we're turning down the appetite dial. While it will have many **health benefits**, especially if it pulls people away from [**processed food**](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2855351?utm%5Fsource=postup%5Fjn&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=article%5Falert-jamanetworkopen&utm%5Fcontent=new%5Fthis%5Fmonth%5F&utm%5Fterm=110826)—which has myriad health consequences, as a new [**JAMA paper**](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2855351?utm%5Fsource=postup%5Fjn&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=article%5Falert-jamanetworkopen&utm%5Fcontent=new%5Fthis%5Fmonth%5F&utm%5Fterm=110826) this week shows—and causes them to move more, the **mediating effect on socializing** is far less certain.

![](https://paulkedrosky.com/content/images/2026/11/01-glp1-loneliness-pathway-v4.png)

It is something to think about this weekend.