“I don’t want to be famous. I want to sit in a cafe and watch the world go by and observe people.”
— Sophia Myles
For decades, sociologists and anthropologists have written about the "third place": a location outside the home or the workplace where people gather to enjoy their lives and meet their social and emotional needs, helping them strike a healthier work-life balance. Historically, this could be a biergarten, a salon, a tea house, a local pub, or the local library. It is somewhere meant to soothe the soul, not just pad a pocketbook or fulfill a family obligation. Isolation is common among people with cardiovascular disease, whether because of age, the social changes that come with the illness, or simply a newfound preference for staying in. That is exactly why a third place still matters. In this series, I'm exploring potential options, and the first is the café.
The Third Place:
The concept of the third place is not new, and neither is the observation that it is slowly and steadily declining. Back in 1982, sociologists Ray Oldenburg and Dennis Brissett examined "the benefits that accrue from the utilization and personalization of places outside the workplace and the home. It is argued that participation in these third places provides people with a large measure of their sense of wholeness and distinctiveness. Third places are characterized in terms of sociability and nondiscursive symbolism" (Oldenburg and Brissett, 1982, p. 265).
In a later article, "Our Vanishing 'Third Places'," Oldenburg makes a very pointed statement: "Most residential areas built since World War II have been designed to protect people from community rather than connect them to it" (Oldenburg, 1997). As a result, "Virtually all means of meeting and getting to know one's neighbors have been eliminated. An electronically-operated garage door out front and a privacy fence out back afford near-total protection from those who, in former days, would have been neighbors" (Oldenburg, 1997).
This is where the third place comes into play. Often it is a local bar, a library, or, common in walkable European cities, a town center where festivals and events are hosted and people naturally gather. Whatever it may be, if it is a place people go besides home or work, it can be considered a third place. Oldenburg describes these places as ones that "lend a public balance to the increased privatization of home life. Third places are nothing more than informal public gathering places. The phrase 'third places' derives from considering our homes to be the 'first' places in our lives, and our work places the 'second'" (Oldenburg, 1997). Without a third place to provide social, emotional, and mental connection, those ties are more likely to break down, not only for society but for each of us individually.
Heart Conditions, Chronic Illness, and the Third Place:
If you have a heart condition or any chronic illness, you need a third place even more. Instead of home and work being the places you visit most, it often becomes home and the hospital or clinic. That brings another kind of stress, one that needs relief, but with no place to go. This can be incredibly isolating, so it is important to get out of the house whenever you can.
Cafés as a Third Place:
As I write this, I am sitting in one of my favorite cafés near my apartment. I used to order a white chocolate mocha with arguably too much sugar and salt and a frankly delightful, delectable taste, along with a succulent slice of salted cookie crumble cheesecake. Now I've switched to a more sensible glass of green tea and a blueberry tart, and I sit by the window watching the world both come in and go by.
Families, friends, colleagues, and lovers all wander in and out of this establishment. This third place, away from home and work, soothes the heart and invigorates the soul. And the concept is not new.
Cafés did not actually begin in France; coffeehouses had already spread from the Ottoman world to cities such as Venice and London by the mid-1600s. But Paris gave the café much of its modern reputation. Café Procope, the city's first great café, opened in 1686 and soon drew Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot (Spencer, 2023). And from this time and location, the concept spread.
Historian W. Scott Haine argues that the "Study of its cafés discloses how Paris was able, in the course of the long nineteenth century, to be both a center of revolutions and a birthplace of modern leisure" (Haine, 1996). He captures this in two scenes: "In 1789, standing on a marble-topped table in the café de Foy in the Palais-Royal, Camille Desmoulins exhorted the people of Paris to take the Bastille. In 1895, the Lumière brothers showed the first commercial film in the basement of the café de Paris on the boulevard des Capucines" (Haine, 1996). In the years between these two events, Haine writes, "café conversations and rituals helped shape modern republicanism, socialism, bohemianism, anarchism, and syndicalism. The crossroads of nineteenth-century Paris were not its streets but rather its cafés. And cafés were a primary circuit for Parisian social networks" (Haine, 1996). From there, Parisian café culture continued to to inspire cafés across Europe and around the world.
Examples Around the World:
Today, café culture has taken the world by storm. The article "Sustainable Cities and Urban Dynamics: The Role of the Café Culture in Transforming the Public Realm" explores this in detail:
"Coffee shops, as quintessential third places, offer unique environments that blend public accessibility with a sense of personal space, acting as neutral grounds for diverse groups to meet and interact. These establishments go beyond serving coffee; they are vital community centers where people gather for a myriad of reasons, from socializing to solitary contemplation. The accessibility and inclusivity of coffee shops cater to a broad audience, creating a melting pot of ideas and cultures. This diversity enriches the social experience, allowing patrons to encounter people outside their regular circles. The atmosphere of openness and acceptance in these coffee shops fosters a welcoming environment for everyone, making them integral to the community's social fabric" (Noaime et al., 2025).
Where I used to work in Shenzhen, there were five cafés on the same street, and seven near the campus in Xi'an. In Cottbus, there are at least five that I regularly visit within a few streets of each other near the Altstadt. That is why I recommend cafés as a viable option for a third place. They are common meeting places and are centers of the community and ideal rest stops for the local soul.
Heart Disease and the Third Place:
In my research, I did not find any articles that specifically address heart disease and café visits. Still, I believe the third place is essential to maintaining one's health, and cafés are a viable option. They come in all shapes and sizes, so one may be quieter than another or have a different menu. What matters most, I argue, is having a way to lessen isolation: meeting with friends, reading a book, having tea or coffee, and enjoying a spark of life.
For people with heart disease, social isolation can take a real toll on an already strained heart. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that "poor social health increases the risk of and worsens outcomes in incident cardiovascular diseases. However, the observed effect estimate is small, which may be attributable to residual confounding from incomplete measurement of potentially confounding or mediating factors. Our results emphasize the importance of having intervention studies to reduce the impact of poor social health on incident cardiovascular diseases and mortality among older adults" (Albasheer et al., 2024). This highlights how dangerous having a low social life can be for anyone who already has the condition, which, unfortunately, has the characteristic of making going out even more difficult than before.
But I argue that it is worth the effort because isolation is not only harmful if you already have heart disease; it can also be a key risk factor for developing it. Psychologists Julianne Holt-Lunstad and Timothy Smith point to substantial research "indicating broad health risks (eg, immune functioning, cardiovascular functioning, cognitive decline) are associated with the quantity and quality of social relationships—including several meta-analyses documenting mortality risk. In the most comprehensive of these, the overall odds for mortality was 1.50, similar to the risk from light smoking and exceeding the risks conferred by hypertension and obesity. Thus, the epidemiological data suggest that having more and better quality social relationships is linked to decreased health risks and having fewer and poorer quality relationships increased risk" (Holt-Lunstad and Smith, 2016, p. 987). In other words, social isolation doesn't only endanger a heart that is already struggling; it can contribute to heart disease in the first place.
For this reason, I recommend you protect your heart and your health by finding a mental, social, and emotional balance through a third place such as a café.
Tips:
Discuss your options with your doctor.
Everyone's mobility is different, so talk these factors over with your doctor before you make a big change to your lifestyle.
Drinks don't always need to be coffee… but decaf exists for a reason.
If caffeine triggers palpitations or arrhythmia episodes for you, decaf might be a good option. Tea is also ideal: green and black teas both contain less caffeine than coffee, should you want a little.
A seat by the window is ideal.
If you aren't meeting anyone and just want to enjoy the afternoon, sit by the window for some optional people-watching. Watching the world go by in a lovely spot with a warm cup in your hands can be enough if you feel shy.
Network.
So many times at my local café, I have not only met up with friends but made new ones. It's a way to come out of your shell at your own pace, if you choose to.
Conclusion:
I love cafés, and I find them ideal for my developing cardiovascular situation. They can usually accommodate my needs, whether I need one shot of espresso instead of two, decaf, or just tea. Over the years, the café has remained an ideal place for me to work and stay ahead of the CVD loneliness.
Yes, it is true that CVD often leads to more isolation. Not only because people may want to stay away from you, but because CVD can shatter your self-image to such a degree that you sometimes wonder whether you are even worthy of being around others. That's why I'm writing this series about third places, and why I write TheEverTickingHeart in the first place. Life does not end with CVD. It just requires some changes that can help you live a fuller, better, stronger life. Your heart is fighting for you, so help it help you, and go to a café.
Your heart will thank you.
What do you think? Can you relate?
Comment below.
Keep ticking, everybody!
P.S. Are there any aspects of CVD health or pacemakers you’d like to know more about?
Feel free to email me at:
Reference List:
Albasheer, O., Abdelwahab, S.I., Zaino, M.R., Altraifi, A.A.A., Hakami, N., El-Amin, E.I., Alshehri, M.M., Alghamdi, S.M., Alqahtani, A.S., Alenazi, A.M., Alqahtani, B., Alhowimel, A., Uddin, S., Khalafalla, H.E.E. and Medani, I.E. (2024). The impact of social isolation and loneliness on cardiovascular disease risk factors: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and bibliometric investigation. Scientific Reports, [online] 14(1), p.12871. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-63528-4.
Haine, W.S. (1996). The World of the Paris café: Sociability Among the French Working Class, 1789-1914. [online] JHU Press. Available at: https://books.google.com/books?id=65r1hSAq-dQC [Accessed 4 Nov. 2026].
Holt-Lunstad, J. and Smith, T.B. (2016). Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for CVD: Implications for evidence-based patient care and scientific inquiry. Heart, 102(13), pp.987–989. doi:10.1136/heartjnl-2015-309242.
Noaime, E., Alalouch, C., Mesloub, A., Haifa, H., Gnaba, H. and Mashary, A.M. (2025). Sustainable Cities and Urban Dynamics: The Role of the Café Culture In Transforming The Public Realm. Ain Shams Engineering Journal, [online] 16(3), p.103320. doi:10.1016/j.asej.2025.103320.
Oldenburg, R. and Brissett, D. (1982). The Third Place. Qualitative Sociology, [online] 5(4), pp.265–284. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00986754.
مریم فراش خیابانی and پویان شهابیان (2019). از کافه ها بیاموزیم : کافه ها به مثابه دگرفضاها. فصلنامه مطالعات شهری, [online] 8(30), pp.109–121. doi:10.34785/j011.2019.407.
#cvd #chd #cafe #thirdplace #mentalhealth #sociallife #heartfailure #heartproblem #travel #arrhythmia #afib #medicine #disabilityawareness #chronicillnessawareness #autumn #hearthealthy #medicalprocedure #procedure #cardiac #cardioversion #chronicillness #medicaldanger #medicaldevice #achd #congenital #heartsurgery #cardiology #experience #pacemaker #hope #advice