Opinion: The loneliness epidemic
Human connection is a medical necessity if we want to stay healthy — emotionally and physically
By Suresh Dharur
The irony of our times is that despite living in a hyperconnected world, one is often lonely and isolated. Even in typical family gatherings, one finds people glued to their mobile screens all the time, rarely making eye contact with others. While technology has made physical distances irrelevant, social disconnection has become far more common than we care to recognise.
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This loneliness is not about the absence of people but about the absence of connection — with ourselves.
Growing Isolation
The paradigm shift from community-based value systems to individual-centric lifestyles, the emergence of nuclear families, large-scale migration to cities in search of greener pastures and intense pressures of navigating urban jungles are among the factors that trigger a growing sense of isolation. The youth are increasingly seeking solace in gadgets and online connections that are largely transient, impersonal and unfulfilling.
There is a growing realisation, particularly in the developed nations, about the harmful effects of the loneliness epidemic.
In Japan and Britain, ministers of loneliness have been appointed to come up with appropriate measures to tackle the crisis. Special public awareness campaigns have been launched. In Britain, the mail carriers are asked to check in with the elderly residents on their routes.
Japan presents a strange paradox: a nation built on collectivism but is one of the world’s loneliest countries. Loneliness has become a widespread societal condition; a plight which strikes significant portions of the population across all demographics. Japan has high suicide rates, a very high number of single-person households, long average working hours, and a heavy reliance on technology to supplant social voids.
In 2023, the United States surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, issued a 71-page advisory warning of an American “epidemic of loneliness and isolation,” with all the danger that classification implies. Murthy has estimated that a lack of social connection affects more Americans than diabetes or obesity.
Together with a concurrent decision by the World Health Organization to make loneliness a ‘global public health concern’, the surgeon general’s report has helped increase public awareness about the problem and spawned hundreds of podcast episodes devoted to loneliness, as well as a slew of startups like ‘Belong Center’, an anti-loneliness non-profit.
In a US-based study, participants who reported using social media for more than two hours a day had about double the odds of reporting increased perceptions of social isolation compared to those who used social media for less than 30 minutes per day.
A psychologist and faculty director at Harvard, Richard Weissbourd, conducted an extensive survey to study the problem of loneliness. His team found that 36% of the respondents reported feeling chronic loneliness in the previous month, with another 37% saying they experienced occasional or sporadic loneliness. The struggle was particularly conspicuous in young respondents, ages 18 to 25, a sizable majority of whom reported acute feelings of loneliness in the previous month.
Seeking Solace Online
The yearning for love and the need to connect is as old as human civilisation. However, with loneliness among the youth emerging as an urban epidemic, algorithms now threaten to replace the human touch. And, artificial intelligence is set to take over emotional intelligence.
In the words of Whitney Herd, CEO of Bumble, a popular dating platform, “AI is the future of dating.”
More and more people are now feeling a sense of personal connection with virtual assistants and we have accepted bots as entertaining conversation partners. Machines with feelings are a precursor to the highly evolved ones having their own agency and motivations. That is in turn the first step toward people falling in love with their gadgets and believing the software can love them back.
The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day and even greater than that associated with obesity
However, it must be borne in mind that human intimacy is not about perfection. It is about navigating the imperfections, complexities and vulnerabilities with an empathetic mind to make relationships work. Making mistakes and learning from them is fundamental to human experience. Using AI to minimise the likelihood of missteps and conflict will turn us into confused souls, unable to navigate the messy, complex — and thereby beautiful — terrain of direct human connection.
Health Hazards
Loneliness is a subjective distressing experience that results from perceived isolation or inadequate meaningful connections. It is the cause of some of our greatest personal and social challenges, from anxiety and depression to addiction and violence. It is far more than just a sad, melancholic feeling — it harms both individual and societal health.
It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety and premature death.
The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity. And the harmful consequences of a society that lacks social connection can be felt in our schools, workplaces and civic organisations, where performance, productivity and engagement are diminished.
When we talk about loneliness, what we are actually talking about are all the issues that swirl perilously underneath it: alienation and isolation, distrust and disconnection and above all, a sense that many of the institutions and traditions that once held us together are less available to us or no longer of interest.
Extensive scientific findings from a variety of disciplines, including epidemiology, neuroscience, medicine, psychology and sociology, converge on the same conclusion: social connection is a significant predictor of longevity and better physical, cognitive and mental health, while social isolation and loneliness are significant predictors of premature death and poor health. In fact, the benefits of social connection extend beyond health-related outcomes. They influence an individual’s educational attainment, workplace satisfaction, economic prosperity, and overall feelings of well-being and life fulfilment.
The Solutions
Given the profound consequences of loneliness and isolation, there is a need to launch awareness campaigns, similar to the ones we have on tobacco use, obesity and the addiction crisis.
The solutions are very simple and easily applicable — and the effects are transformative. It is clear real human connection is a medical necessity if we want to stay healthy, emotionally and physically. We need to create enough community spaces and build the necessary public infrastructure for the people to come and interact with each other.
Our goal must be to build a more connected life and a more connected society. By taking small steps every day to strengthen our relationships, and by supporting community efforts to rebuild social connection, we can build lives and communities that are healthier and happier.
(The author is a senior journalist based in Hyderabad)
