These national programs bring together research experts, nonprofit and government agencies, community groups and skilled volunteers to raise awareness of loneliness and address social isolation through evidence-based interventions and advocacy.īut is loneliness really increasing, or is it a condition that humans have always experienced at various times of life? In other words, are we becoming lonelier or just more inclined to recognize and talk about the problem? In an effort to stem such health risks, campaigns and coalitions to reduce social isolation and loneliness-an individual’s perceived level of social isolation-have been launched in Australia, Denmark and the United Kingdom. "There is robust evidence that social isolation and loneliness significantly increase risk for premature mortality, and the magnitude of the risk exceeds that of many leading health indicators," Holt-Lunstad says. She’s also found that loneliness and social isolation are twice as harmful to physical and mental health as obesity ( Perspectives on Psychological Science, Vol. According to a meta-analysis co-authored by Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, lack of social connection heightens health risks as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day or having alcohol use disorder. Such numbers are alarming because of the health and mental health risks associated with loneliness. Forty percent of survey participants also reported they sometimes or always feel that their relationships are not meaningful and that they feel isolated. adults reporting they sometimes or always feel alone. Discuss evidence-based interventions for combating loneliness.įor more information on earning CE credit for this article, go to According to a 2018 national survey by Cigna, loneliness levels have reached an all-time high, with nearly half of 20,000 U.S.Explore how loneliness differs from social isolation.Identify the effects of social isolation and loneliness on physical, mental and cognitive health.Learning objectives: After reading this article, CE candidates will be able to:
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