A Danish copywriter’s public admission that he feels lonely in summer triggered hundreds of messages from readers who recognized themselves in his account, exposing a widespread problem that charity surveys show affects around 12 percent of the population over 16.
John Volmer, a copywriter, published a debate piece in Politiken about his summer loneliness and followed up with a television interview on TV 2. The response was immediate. Hundreds of people wrote to him, and as reported by TV 2, he was moved by the volume of replies he received.
Volmer says he was surprised by how many people recognized themselves in his account. The reaction suggests that talking openly about feeling isolated in July and August can seem uncommon, even though the pattern appears widespread.
Summer removes routines and amplifies comparison
Psychologist Neela Maria Sris, director of the mental-health organization Encounter, says loneliness rises from May to August. The seasonal spike is linked to disrupted daily structure. Work slows, clubs close, and regular social contact points disappear.
That disruption can undermine basic habits. As noted by Sris, people may sleep less, exercise less, and clean less when their routines break down. The result is a cycle where isolation feeds poor self-care, which in turn deepens the feeling of disconnection.
Social media makes the problem worse. People see curated images of friends at festivals, families at beaches, and groups in parks. As stated by Sris, they do not see the people lying on the sofa watching Netflix. The comparison can make being alone feel like personal failure.
Twelve percent felt severely lonely in 2024
According to a 2024 survey by Mary Fonden and Epinion, 12 percent of the Danish population felt severely lonely. Another 54 percent knew at least one person who was lonely. The charity reports that loneliness has increased steadily since 2013, indicating the problem extends well beyond any single season.
For internationals living in Denmark, the summer gap may feel sharper. When workplaces and associations slow down, people who are newer to the country may have fewer built-in contact points to rely on. That is an inference from the broader pattern described by Sris rather than a finding from expat-specific data.
Volmer is single and does not have close family nearby, a situation that parallels a common risk factor described in discussions of social isolation. His account resonated with many people who wrote to him after seeing his TV 2 interview and reading his Politiken piece.
Plan ahead and seek meaningful activity
Sris recommends identifying when loneliness tends to appear and building structure around those moments. That might mean scheduling regular meetups, joining volunteer projects, or maintaining exercise and sleep routines even when work is on pause. The advice is practical rather than therapeutic.
Volmer says he tries to be honest about his feelings rather than pretending everything is fine. As reported by TV 2, he believes it should not require courage to admit feeling lonely. The response to his story suggests many people agree but rarely say so publicly.
The problem is seasonal but not niche
Psychologist Sris says it is well known that summer loneliness follows a seasonal pattern. Yet many people can feel that July and August are expected to be carefree and full of activity, which can make the gap between expectation and reality harder to discuss.
For readers living in Denmark without a deep local network, the seasonal rise in summer loneliness is worth anticipating. The advice from Sris is to act before the feeling hits: restore routines, seek out communities, and reduce time spent on social media comparisons. The hundreds of messages Volmer received suggest the need for that conversation is real, even if it remains underreported.
