In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy released an advisory titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation” raising awareness about rising rates of feeling lonely and warning about the dangerous consequences of chronic loneliness. With similar levels of premature death to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, the loneliness epidemic is a problem we need to address now.
Loneliness can often be misunderstood as it is unique for each person and can often be repressed internally. Even in a crowd of people, people can still feel lonely because loneliness is about the quality of the connections made. Experts define 3 components to loneliness: structure, function, and quality. Structure refers to the number of relationships, variety of people these relationships are formed with, and the frequency of interactions. The function refers to the degree to which someone can rely on others, whether it be for surface-level support or emotionally vulnerable moments. The quality focuses on the degree to which these relationships are positive, fulfilling, helpful, and satisfying to individuals, and this is where people are experiencing a major gap between their desires and realities [1]. Chronic loneliness is when people are unable to fulfill their social needs and lack a social circle causing this epidemic. Dr. Jeremy Nobel also classifies loneliness into 3 categories: psychological, existential, and social. Psychological loneliness is when someone doesn’t feel like they can confide in or trust anyone. Existential loneliness is a personal disconnect from oneself. Lastly, social loneliness focuses on the feeling of being systematically excluded from society due to factors like race, gender, or sexual orientation [2]. Social loneliness puts marginalized groups at a higher risk of chronic loneliness, often propelled by the discrimination they face and negative stigma surrounding the group [3]. Indeed, reports have found higher rates of loneliness in lower income levels and minority groups [1].
Surveys finding high rates of loneliness have been reported since before the pandemic. A 2018 Cigna survey found that roughly half of the 20,000 US adults surveyed reported sometimes or always feeling lonely and 40% of them often find their relationships aren’t meaningful enough [4]. However, when the world shut down, these numbers skyrocketed. The University of Michigan National Poll on Health Aging found the loneliness rates in 50-80 years grew 29% from just 27% in October 2018 to 56% in June 2020. The social distancing and physical isolation made it harder for people to interact in person and build the necessary social connections to make it through the difficult times. After the world emerged from lockdown, the same organization found the loneliness rates for 50-80 years old decreased to 34% in January 2023. For the most part, the older generation experience lower loneliness rates than adults from 18-25 years old. A 2020 Harvard survey found that 61% adults from ages 18-25 feel serious loneliness compared to the 39% the general public experiences, indicating how the younger generation is more prone to chronic loneliness [2]. In fact, Milena Batanova, research director at Making Caring Common at Harvard’s Grad School of Education Research, found that roughly 50% of young adults feel like no one genuinely checks in on them [5].
Consequently, the extent of the problem is evidently quite alarming and there are several theories to explain why. Overall, people have been moving more due to job changes and the rise of remote learning, disrupting present social connections [6]. The most recent US census found that more than 25% of America lives alone, which are the highest recorded rates. Additionally, a rising amount of the population is unmarried with rates exceeding 50%. Historically though, volunteerism, religious affiliation, and recreational sport leagues have helped build community. Now, there is a general decline in the respective activity, hence losing the community feelings even further [5, 6]. Technology has dramatically reshaped the way people interact and talk with one another. Despite allowing people to interact with communities they may not have been able to in person, social media has created a lot more lower-quality connections. With such a prominent presence in the lives of 18-25 year olds (the most at risk group), there is a struggle to create genuine connections that fulfill personal needs of high quality relationships. The 20s are often a time filled with social expectations of finding a partner, leaving home, finding new friends, building a career, and much more. These expectations, especially exacerbated by the success images on social media, can make loneliness worse [3]. The pandemic also took away crucial socialization opportunities with online learning, graduation cancellations, and many more ways to meet and engage with the people around [1]. The PEW Research Center found a correlation between dissatisfaction with one’s family, social, and community life to higher chances of loneliness. Their report finds that 28% of those who are dissatisfied with their family life feel lonely most or all of the time as compared to the 7% who are satisfied with their family life, emphasizing the significance of healthy familial relationships as well [4].
Chronic loneliness puts the individual’s physical and cognitive health at a huge risk. Nicole Valtorta, an epidemiologist at Newcastle University, found a 30% increase in risk of getting a stroke. Subsequently, Florida State University College of Medicine discovered a 40% increase in risk of getting dementia [4] Other reports find a higher risk of high blood pressure, obesity, anxiety, depression, impaired executive function, accelerated cognitive decline, poor cardiovascular function, and impaired immunity [green, purple]. Additionally, it makes it harder to focus on work, resulting in lower performance in school or work, and further leading to a lack of satisfaction with one’s life [1, 7].
Addressing the epidemic requires major changes throughout society to encourage a greater culture of connection. Governments can focus on building infrastructure like parks and libraries, make public transportation more accessible, and support paid family leave to help build greater social connection throughout society [6]. Countries like Australia, Denmark, and the UK have already dedicated programs to fight social isolation and loneliness by bringing together experts, organizations, and people to advocate and fight the problem [4]. More research is needed to understand why the loneliness epidemic has emerged and how it harms the body to better address the problem. On the individual level, it’s important to take the necessary time to reach out to people and build relationships beyond the screen, even if it’s for 5-10 minutes a day. Experts recommend people to focus on building strong, social support systems and to partake in community activity throughout the community. The University of California conducted a study analyzing the impact of joining a choir within the senior living community. As a result of partaking in a community setting, seniors who joined the choir felt more interested in life and less lonely than those who didn’t. A similar research conducted by the University of Queensland found that people who joined book clubs or church groups have a lower risk of premature death [4].
As time goes on, we, as society, must address the loneliness epidemic and encourage a community filled with genuine connections.
Sources:
[1] https://www.lifespan.org/lifespan-living/epidemic-loneliness-and-isolation
[4]https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/05/ce-corner-isolation
[5]
[7]
[8]https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf