Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation
By UCKN Editorial Staff in Social Connectedness Loneliness Social Isolation
February 22, 2024
In 2023, our nation’s Surgeon General addressed a silent struggle affecting millions with his release of a profound national advisory titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” This advisory highlights an expansive yet often overlooked health crisis, spotlighting the profound effects of social disconnection in our modern world (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2023).
In his advisory, the Surgeon General promotes social connectedness or lack thereof as to what lies at the heart of our troubles. He notes that while we benefit from social connectedness with our family, friends, neighbors, and community, we can also suffer from the lack thereof.
From our Surgeon General’s perspective and the many researchers who support his advisory, the degree to which we create social connectedness through whatever means impacts our health and well-being directly. The lack of social connectedness compromises these promised benefits and leads to poor health and other negative outcomes.
Social isolation is objectively having few social relationships, social roles, group memberships, and infrequent social interaction (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2023, p.8). 19, 21
Loneliness is a subjective internal state, [where distress results] from the perceived isolation or unmet need between an individual’s preferred and actual experience (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2023, p.8). 9, 10, 19
Badcock et al. (2022, p. 3) distinguish social isolation from loneliness in that one may occur without the other.
Poor social connectedness is impactful. The Surgeon General (p. 8) cites one study that found loneliness and social isolation increase the risk of premature death by 26% and 29% respectively. In comparison to smoking cigarettes daily, the lack of social connect “can increase the risk for premature death as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day” (p. 3)
References
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2023). Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the healing effects of social connection and community. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf
Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., Baker, M., Harris, T., & Stephenson, D. (2015). Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: A meta-analytic review. Perspectives on Psychological Science: A Journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 10(2), 227–237. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691614568352
Holt-Lunstad, J., Robles, T. F., & Sbarra, D. A. (2017). Advancing social connection as a public health priority in the United States. The American Psychologist, 72(6), 517–530. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000103