Without fail this is always the response "coworkers aren't your friends".
I didn't say they were and more importantly coworkers don't need to be your friends for you to have social interactions with them. I found those in person workplace interactions helpful for my overall mental health, because even a throwaway conversation at lunch time provides some contact with another person.
99% of the time these days the only person I talk to on a given day is the cashier at the store. I think you don't appreciate how bad some of us have it on this front, but for some of us work was a social outlet.
How about some volunteering in the community? There are many opportunities for communication. Even more if you have kids. I have elder lady next door and we have random lunch conversations when I fix occasionally something in her old house.
I didn't say they were and more importantly coworkers don't need to be your friends for you to have social interactions with them. I found those in person workplace interactions helpful for my overall mental health, because even a throwaway conversation at lunch time provides some contact with another person.
99% of the time these days the only person I talk to on a given day is the cashier at the store. I think you don't appreciate how bad some of us have it on this front, but for some of us work was a social outlet.