Impacts of Loneliness
Learn about the effects of loneliness on physical, mental, and emotional health.
- The Aspen Ideas Festival hosted a discussion panel with Julianne Holt-Lunstad and others discussing the epidemic of loneliness and its impact on physical health.
- In a TEDx Talk (The Lethality of Loneliness), John Cacioppo discussed the prevalence of social isolation, and the role of social relationships in health.
- Former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy discusses the prominence of loneliness and its connection with health on “CBS This Morning.”
- Is Loneliness a Health Epidemic? New York Times discusses the health impact of loneliness.
Ways to Combat Loneliness
Gain insight from world leaders and university scholars on how to cope with loneliness.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many of our relationships, leaving us lonely and more prone to anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns. In this video Tamar Kodish, UCLA Psychology PhD candidate, shares five strategies that can be used to manage feelings of loneliness. She focuses specifically on the taking stock of your social network strategy. Addressing loneliness is just one segment of the UCLA COVID-19 Care Package. Visit UCLA STAND Together for tools for addressing loneliness.
- The U.K. has appointed a minister to address the issues of loneliness across the lifespan.
- Renowned media scholar Sherry Turkle investigates how a flight from conversation undermines our relationships, creativity, and productivity—and why reclaiming face-to-face conversation can help us regain lost ground.
- University of Chicago social neuroscientist John T. Cacioppo unveils his pioneering research on the startling effects of loneliness: a sense of isolation or social rejection disrupts not only our thinking abilities and will power but also our immune systems, and can be as damaging as obesity or smoking. A blend of biological and social science, this book demonstrates that, as individuals and as a society, we have everything to gain, and everything to lose, in how well or how poorly we manage our need for social bonds.
