What we know about loneliness
These numbers aren’t meant to alarm you. They’re meant to show you how ordinary it is to feel this way.
How common is it?
The UK declared loneliness a public health crisis in 2017 and appointed a Minister for Loneliness in 2018 — the first country in the world to do so.
Who feels it most?
Young adults (18–22) and the elderly (65+) are the loneliest groups in the United States.
Gen Z is the loneliest generation — despite being the most digitally connected.
Men are less likely to report loneliness but are equally affected by it.
New parents, college students, and recent movers are especially vulnerable to loneliness.
What does it do to us?
15 cigarettes/day
The equivalent health risk of chronic loneliness (Holt-Lunstad)
Linked to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and dementia.
Loneliness activates the same neural pathways as physical pain.
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- Cigna Group. (2023). The Loneliness Epidemic Persists.
- Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., Baker, M., Harris, T., & Stephenson, D. (2015). Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(2), 227–237.
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Making Caring Common Project. (2021). Loneliness in America.
- UK Government. (2018). PM commits to government-wide drive to tackle loneliness.
- Cacioppo, J. T., & Patrick, W. (2008). Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection. W. W. Norton.