No friends in UAE? Many residents face anxiety due to lack of social life, say experts

A pit in your stomach, being consumed by thoughts of your loved ones and sleeplessness are all signs of homesickness that most expats in UAE may be familiar with.

Amelia, a teacher, who moved from the UK to Dubai for a job opportunity, was experiencing anxiety and feeling homesick. Loneliness and isolation held her back from being able to adjust to Dubai's lifestyle and culture.

She was then encouraged to socialise and join cultural discovery activities. Joining expat communities, going to cultural events, and taking up new interests could help her, Amelia was told. She had the chance to make friends, feel like she belonged, and enjoy the rich cultural diversity of the country thanks to these activities.

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She is one among many expatriates in the country who suffer from individualism or lack of friends and social groups.

Psychologists say that due to a lack of friends or social groups, many people in the UAE go through feelings of loneliness and adjustment issues that lead to anxiety or depression among the residents.

“During her therapy sessions, Amelia addressed her negative thinking patterns that were causing her anxiety and learned coping mechanisms to deal with stress,” said Dr Adnan Ahmadiazad, specialist psychiatrist at Thumbay University Hospital.

Growing concern over social media

Individualism has become a hot topic on popular social media platforms such as Reddit.

“I see all these posts about people complaining that they don't have friends and acquaintances and have been living here for a while. Feel free to leave your thoughts,” said a Reddit user.

Another social media user – MrRandomRedditDude – says the city’s fast-paced lifestyle makes it difficult to make meaningful connections.

“Lack of friendships might have detrimental psychological effects. People who don't have close social ties may feel more alone and stressed out than usual. They could find it difficult to handle pressures and might feel depressed, anxious, or unhappy in the absence of supporting interactions,” said Ahmadiazad.

Also, she said lack of friendships can negatively affect one’s confidence and sense of self-worth, which can result in self-doubt.

“Long-term social isolation and loneliness have also been connected to a higher risk of mental health conditions such depression, anxiety disorders, and cognitive impairment. Individuals may experience difficulties in social situations, leading to feelings of awkwardness and social anxiety. So, building supportive networks and social ties is essential for mental wellbeing.”

Reasons of loneliness

Arfa Banu Khan, a clinical psychologist at Aster Clinic in Bur Dubai, said the reason for loneliness and individualism could be a hectic lifestyle and lack of time to socialize among others.

“Due to lack of friends or social group, many people go through the feeling of loneliness, adjustment issues and sometimes that can lead to anxiety or depression in people. People or expats here often prioritise work over anything, so the socialisation becomes an additional activity or time-consuming to people,” she said.

Gender, nationality

Khan added that there can be a section of the population that is more vulnerable to being affected by this.

“When we talk about nationalities, people from Asian countries are more affected, as the social life in Asian countries is different from that here, where there are joint family systems or cluster joint family systems. Children can feel lonely, teenagers and adolescents may feel a lack of affiliation or detachment, while adults may feel lonely and isolated. When we talk about gender, it affects more women than men,” Khan said.

Dr Adnan Ahmadiazad added that due to exposure to Western cultures and educational possibilities, newer generations are progressively adopting more individualistic beliefs.

In addition, people typically put the needs of their family or community before their own. However, this collectivistic attitude may also lead to a tendency for individuals to primarily associate and mingle within their own community and personal relationships, limiting interactions with those outside their immediate social circle.

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