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LonelinessLoneliness is the gap between our actual level of social connection and our desired level of connection. Someone can experience the social isolation of loneliness even in a crowded room, and conversely, individuals may be objectively isolated but enjoy being alone. Many of us do say we're lonely: 1 in 5 Americans told Gallup in 2024 that they felt lonely for "a lot of the day yesterday."
In 2023, the then-US surgeon general proclaimed that loneliness is a health threat on par with smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily. The report concluded that the stress of loneliness can trigger the body to be on high alert, leading to health complications, including higher blood pressure and inflammation. Loneliness increases the risk of premature death by 26% and boosts the risks of heart disease, stroke, anxiety, and depression.
Volunteering can be one way to combat loneliness. Feeling like you have something to offer, are appreciated, and spending time with other like-minded people with a shared sense of purpose can be very satisfying—whether it's cleaning up neighborhood trash, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or tutoring students.Explore Loneliness
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How fantasy baseball fights the loneliness epidemicExperts believe the erosion of traditional community organizations has led to a loneliness epidemic. This deep dive explores how fantasy baseball has filled the gap for some men, providing a stand-in social network. The RingerSee the UCLA Loneliness Scale, often used to measure global lonelinessThis 20-question survey, first established in the late 1970s and subsequently revised and often adapted, aims to measure the subjective experience of loneliness. Respondents rate various items on a scale of 1 (Never) to 4 (Often). One revision of the test (not included here) offers an abbreviated three-question version that focuses on how often you feel companionship, left out, and isolated. Psychological Testing OnlineGovernments around the world are struggling to measure lonelinessFunding for policy resources often hinges on measuring the scale of a problem and then being able to measure the effectiveness of interventions, requiring data. Yet defining and measuring loneliness at a country-scale remains challenging. Typically, the University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale is sometimes used worldwide or adapted to measure loneliness. The MainichiJapan has a government office dedicated to tackling loneliness and isolationThe new government office was established in 2021, following the UK's example. It's designed to combat loneliness and the feelings that can proceed suicides. The office's homepage features a chatbot designed to help individuals answer questions and specifically connect with one of 150 support programs. Japan's Office for Policy on Loneliness and Isolation,Volunteering can alleviate the feeling of lonelinessThe Freakonomics team explored loneliness in this 2020 podcast episode and discussed how volunteering can be a powerful way to make lonely individuals feel needed, like they have a purpose, and combat feelings of isolation. Freakonomics See America's loneliness and disconnection—chartedThis series of graphs visually depicts various aspects of American society's connection to others, including the percentage of Americans who feel they have friends or family they can count on (90%), share of people who feel close to at least one other person (86%), and more. Our World in DataThe British government established a minister for loneliness in 2018Tracey Crouch was appointed to this new position after the country's prime minister created the unprecedented job to tackle the country's loneliness issues. Survey data suggests that about 14% of the population—9 million people—often or always felt lonely in Britain at the time (in 2018).
TIMENostalgia is a psychological coping mechanism that can help combat loneliness—but it's created from biasResearchers have observed that though nostalgia can help counteract feelings of loneliness, our memories of the past are somewhat rose colored. Negative emotions seem to fade faster than positive ones, a phenomenon that they suggest may be a psychological coping mechanism so that memories don't hurt every time they're recalled. (Some users may experience a paywall.) The New York TimesLoneliness and isolation aren't the same thingOne can experience loneliness even in a crowded room. Isolation refers to social disconnection whereas loneliness is the distress that comes from lacking human connection and perceived isolation. AP News1 in 5 American adults report daily lonelinessTwenty percent of US adults said they felt lonely "a lot of the day yesterday" in Gallup polling conducted in 2024. The survey was conducted with more than 6,000 adults who took part in a web survey. Gallup.comRead the Surgeon General's 2023 loneliness report claiming loneliness is an epidemicThis report details the specific health threats linked with loneliness, including that loneliness and social isolation can increase the risk of premature death by nearly 30%. Loneliness also lowers our capability to mount an effective immune response to viruses and respiratory illness, increases the risks for anxiety, depression, and dementia, and boosts the risks of heart disease and stroke. US Department of Health and Human ServicesLoneliness is more dangerous to your health than smokingThe US surgeon general proclaimed in 2023 that loneliness is a health risk on par with smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily. In an 81-page report, the then-surgeon general noted that loneliness increases the risk of premature death by 26%. PBSExplore this animated story about loneliness that situates modern statistics about isolationThis beautiful "scrollytelling" story—weaving together animations and text as a user scrolls down a page—takes a reader through a typical weekend day in 2021, drawing data from the American Time Use Survey. It underscores the loneliness that many people may experience, highlighting potential unaddressed mental health needs. The PuddingHow do astronauts battle loneliness and depression?You’re stranded hundreds of miles away from your friends and family, constantly surrounded by coworkers who also are your roommates, and you’re only allowed the shortest of walks outside. There’s also no takeout, and gravity has essentially broken up with you. You might need a little help adjusting mentally. That’s where space psychologists and psychiatrists step in, according to this article. InverseWe may never know if Americans are now lonelier than ever before due to limited dataFormal data collection on loneliness is recent, limiting historical comparisons from before the year 2000. That means statements about how people are more lonely than ever before are difficult to prove or disprove. Psychology TodayThe music theory behind a lonesome country classicTownes Van Zandt's "I'll Be Here in the Morning" might read like a clever inversion of a standard country music trope. But Cush, a musician in his own right, walks through the song's structure to show how its story is far more complicated than its lyrics suggest. Hearing ThingsMany dating app users are beginning to suffer from 'dating app burnout'For younger generations, dating apps have become a primary avenue for creating romantic connections—leaving some users fatigued and contributing to increased feelings of loneliness. Psychology TodayWhat we can learn from animal societies' ethicsFor millennia before we showed up on the scene, social animals—those living in societies and cooperating for survival—had been creating cultures imbued with ethics. NOEMAA spiraling story of love between a lonely man and his AI girlfriendTravis was quickly becoming dependent on his AI companion Lily Rose amid the pandemic (and the tragic loss of his son to the disease). Soon, he realized that thousands like him were being manipulated through the chatbot by a Russian corporation. Wondery'Success has brought me world idolization and millions of pounds. But it's prevented me from having the one thing we all need: A loving, ongoing relationship.'- Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) Ultimate Classic RockFantasy sports can have adverse health effects Experts warn that fantasy sports, including fantasy football, can encourage obsessive use because they offer hits of dopamine. Daily fantasy games, which function more like gambling, are especially problematic. www.heart.orgGen Z prefers hybrid work over being fully remoteContrary to popular belief, the younger generation is more likely than their older peers to want employees in the office more often. Millennials seem to have the strongest personal attachment to remote work among the generations, with 41% of remote-capable millennials saying they would be "extremely likely" to look for another job if remote options were partly or entirely eliminated at their workplace. Gallup.comNostalgia is a psychological coping mechanism created from biasMemories are naturally reconstructed during recall, and research has shown a fading effect bias that causes negative ones to fade more quickly, helping us heal. This creates a natural longing for the past, particularly when faced with loneliness, boredom, or challenging moments in the present. The New York TimesPepe the Frog went from internet meme to symbol of hateThe character first appeared in 2005, in an online comic called "Boy's Club," inspiring countless memes in which his likeliness was used as a supportive shorthand. Then, people started pairing Pepe with hateful messages, morphing him into something his author never intended. Feels Good ManWhy might someone want to stay in psychosis?Author Abigail Gosselin writes that her verbal auditory hallucination, often assumed by others to be harmful or threatening in nature, offered a salve to loneliness, even as it told her to kill herself. This perceived benefit and others Gosselin shares offer insight into why people in psychosis may struggle to adhere to treatment and medication plans. Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyExternal factors, not aging itself, lead to sleep loss in older adultsThough it is often believed that people need less sleep as they age, the recommended sleep guidelines for all adult age groups are almost identical. However, factors such as medication use, lack of physical activity, and loneliness can lead to sleep problems, and thereby lead older people to believe that they actually need less sleep than they do. External factors, not aging itself, lead to sleep loss in older adults
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