In “Make yourself comfortable’’ (Ideas, May 20), Linda Rodriguez McRobbie writes about our pursuit of physical comfort and the impact of air conditioning. She also cites the findings of a recent Cigna survey detailing the levels of loneliness in America.

These facets are related. I remember well hot and steamy summer evenings when I was growing up in the 1950s in Brooklyn, N.Y. In these pre-air conditioning days, the residents of my apartment building gathered together on the stoops, discussing sports, politics, neighbors, and life in general, until the evening cooled down enough for us to venture back up to our apartments and attempt to get some sleep.

Clearly, air conditioning has adversely cut down on this type of neighborhood socialization in cities and has increased neighbors’ loneliness.

Stan Fleischman

Newton Highlands