Isolation and loneliness are an epidemic as damaging to Americans’ individual and public health as smoking and obesity, the surgeon general said in an advisory.
The pandemic took a harsh toll on U.S. teen girls’ mental health, with almost 60% reporting feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessnessThe report describes social isolation as objectively having few social connections or interactions, while loneliness is a subjective and internal feeling resulting from a gap between the actual connections people experience versus the desired connections they yearn for.
Research shows people are spending less time with friends and family or participating in clubs or organizations, driven in part by technology winding its way into our social interactions. Some peoplecommunities; many others focus on their careers at the expense of their personal relationships. Studies cited in the advisory showed that between 2003 and 2020, time spent with friends decreased by 20 hours per month while time spent alone increased by about 24 hours per month.
It’s a trend that goes against human nature and is producing adverse effects on individual and societal health, said Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University and the advisory’s lead science editor. “Humans are a social species,” Holt-Lunstad said. “Throughout human history, we’ve needed to rely on others for survival, so it makes sense that our bodies are adapted to promote survival.”
Because of the way humans evolved and adapted, feeling disconnected, particularly from those we trust, becomes “a very threatening state,” Holt-Lunstad said. “It takes more energy, and our bodies respond accordingly.”
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