How loneliness is harming Americans in the post-COVID years

Publish date: 2024-09-21

WASHINGTON (SOA) — In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, another epidemic has been sweeping the nation and causing substantial harm to Americans: loneliness.

The U.S. Surgeon General calls it a public health crisis, with one out of two Americans reporting measurable levels of loneliness. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Spotlight on America goes in-depth in this report to find out why we’re seeing so many disconnected people and what can be done about it.

Kicking the Cycle of Loneliness

Every Thursday evening in the spring, young people gather on the National Mall in the nation’s capital to play kickball. The long, grassy space adjacent to iconic monuments like the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument offers a majestic spot for them to come together for increasingly popular social sports.

“I love this! Once you get out here and talk to people, it always gets better,” said 31-year-old Lindsay Cowen, who joined a Volo Sports kickball team to recapture some of the social connection lost during the pandemic.

Social sports leagues, like Volo, are growing in popularity across the U.S. and serving as a lifeline for many people feeling isolated in modern

I think COVID really did a number on our generation,” said 24-year-old Kaylee Ann Schwarz, a member of Cohen’s kickball team. “I’m really grateful for the community I found here.

Both told Spotlight on America they have experienced loneliness, especially since the pandemic.

I feel like I know a lot of lonely people, and a lot of people still searching for community,” Cowen said.

Volo Sports Founder and CEO Gio Marcantoni says they saw a significant change in the way people communicate after the pandemic lockdowns.

“I think it's a lot more serious than we had thought,” he said. “It was like, ‘Wow! People don't just interact as they used to.’ They have their iPods or headphones in, and they're walking around kind of beating to their own drum, and it's like it's hard to just talk to people.”

Public Health Crisis

Multiple studies show the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to loneliness, but the upward trend was already well underway.

In 2023, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an in-depth report and declared loneliness a public health crisis, especially for America's youth. He reported the amount of time young people spent together, in person with friends, declined by 58% from 2003 to 2019.

I worry that we have become a lonely and disconnected nation,” Murthy testified during a congressional hearing in June of last year. “I worry that the balance has shifted dramatically toward online connection and away from in-person connection, particularly for our kids.

Murthy calls the health impact "devastating" — not only increasing the risk for depression and anxiety but also physical illnesses.

Research has shown loneliness is associated with a 29% increased risk for heart disease, 32% increased risk for stroke, 50% increased risk for dementia, and a 60% higher risk for premature death.

“I believe that addressing loneliness is a strategic and critical priority for our country,” Murthy added.

What’s making us so lonely?

Psychologist and Harvard professor Rick Weissbourd agrees loneliness is a serious problem for society.

“I think we are absolutely at risk,” he told correspondent Angie Moreschi.

Weissbourd led a 2021 survey that found young people had the highest levels of loneliness, contrary to the common assumption that the elderly tend to be lonelier.

That Harvard Graduate School of Education survey found 61% of young adults (those in the age range of 18-25) and 51% of mothers with young children reported “serious loneliness" -- which is, according to the study, "feeling lonely 'frequently' or 'almost all the time or all the time' in the prior four weeks" -- compared to 36% of Americans overall.

Loneliness is much more pervasive among young adults than it is among senior citizens,” Weissbourd said. “Those are the people we should be most concerned about.”

He says changes in society, which have led to a decline in close relationships, are contributing to the loneliness epidemic— including the increased prevalence of remote work and social media, which can make it harder to develop true connections with people.

In a number of ways, in-person interactions tend to be more connecting and more fulfilling,” he said.

He says other factors include more people delaying marriage and families and a decline in religious participation, which have traditionally offered sources of support in times of need.

Weissbourd also warned that people experiencing loneliness often get caught in self-defeating thought patterns that perpetuate and exacerbate the problem.

“They tend to exaggerate the degree to which people are critical of them, and they tend to exaggerate their own flaws when they're having conversations with people,” he explained. “We need to tell lonely people, you're vulnerable to these self-defeating thought patterns, and you need to counteract those self-defeating thought patterns that are probably not accurate.”

Debilitating Effects of Loneliness

As a new mom, just divorced, and working remotely during the pandemic, 29-year-old Mayra Deras said she thought she was staying connected during lockdowns. However, she learned a tough lesson: online interaction is not the same as developing in-person relationships.

“Whether it be the Facebook groups or messaging, I was like, ‘Oh, I have a community' -- but not really. It was very superficial. When you have these social media friendships or communities, I wasn't having any meaningful deep connections.”

She started experiencing debilitating loneliness, which included depression, and even blackouts in time.

“I felt like I was going through the motions, but I was doing it all. Then, when my son would go away for the weekends, I wasn't leaving the bed,” she remembered. “I would sit there, and I'm like, ‘Get up, get up!”

Deras ended up taking short-term disability and got help through therapy.

I realized, oh, we do need people. We do need community. I need to get to know my neighbors.

She also found a new community of support through groups like Campaign for Childcare and ParentsTogether, which help to keep parents connected.

Loneliness Feeds on Itself

31-year-old Jordan Schwartzbach is another member of the Volo kickball league in Washington D.C. and says he knows how easy it can be to get into a rut of staying home alone.

“It can be debilitating, right? Like, it's really hard to break out of your routine to get out of it, but also sitting alone just amplifies those feelings too,” he explained.

In his interview with Spotlight on America, Weissbourd observed, “loneliness can feed on itself.” So, making an intentional effort to get out with people in-person is an important solution.

If you're feeling sad or depressed, you can isolate yourself, which can make you more lonely, which can make you more likely to withdraw, which can increase your sadness and depression,” Weissbourd explained.

Kaylee Ann Schwarz says she’s felt that snowball effect when she doesn’t force herself to go out.

“I definitely find myself getting sadder and sadder the longer I go without seeing people.

Kicking the loneliness habit is not always easy, but the results are worth it.

“We should do it for our health. But the bigger reason to do it is that it's what makes life wonderful,” Weissbourd said.

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Updated Loneliness Survey

Weissbourd’s team at Harvard is working on an update to its loneliness survey. Spotlight on America will post those new numbers when they are released.

If you’re experiencing a crisis or need help finding resources, you can call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. A real person will answer 24/7 to offer support. It’s free and confidential.