With how connected smart devices have us, loneliness isn’t something that comes to the front of our minds. However, a recent study published by the American Medical Association found that 29.2% of adults aged 50 to 80 said they felt isolated from others “some of the time” or “often” in 2024. This was out of the 2,051 to 2,576 respondents included in the survey. Loneliness was most common among people not working, those living alone and individuals with lower household incomes. For those who reported a high rate of loneliness, they were also more likely to cope with social isolation.
When the loneliness epidemic becomes a public health challenge
Though some people require more social interaction than others, humans are social beings. If we don’t have a sense of community or lack a feeling of belonging, it can have negative health effects. It also threatens public health, as outlined in a 2023 Office of the US Surgeon General advisory.
According to the surgeon general’s office, advisories are reserved for “significant public health challenges” that require immediate awareness and action. Loneliness and social isolation were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic also worked to shift our attention to loneliness as a public health problem, according to the report.
Persistent feelings of loneliness or social isolation can impact our mood and emotions, cause symptoms of anxiety and depression and also increase our risk of other health conditions, including heart disease and dementia.
“Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling — it harms both individual and societal health,” US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wrote in a letter opening the advisory. “It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety and premature death.”
Mortality-wise, or how something contributes to the risk of death, loneliness has a similar effect to smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day and has a greater risk than obesity or physical inactivity, Murthy said.
Many factors may contribute to a person’s isolation from others or persistent loneliness. Some outlined in the advisory include shrinking social networks, increased social media use and people feeling polarized from each other due to differing ideologies.
Feelings of loneliness and isolation also impact people unevenly — older adults and young people, people with poor health, single parents, people who live alone, those who don’t have as much money and people with a disability may be at higher risk, according to the report.
