Last year, the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthey declared loneliness and isolation an epidemic prompting a need for direct action through new screening, chronic disease management, policies, and resource partnerships as an effort to recognize this as a medical issue (Cobern, 2024; Schumacher et al., 2024).
Medical professionals and researchers are now calling for primary doctors to ask patients about loneliness as part of routine health checks as findings show it could be just as important as checking blood pressure, heart health, and lifestyle factors for health outcomes (Cobern, 2024).
The number of negative physical and mental problems related to loneliness and social isolation are unfathomable with the health impacts even being compared to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day (Cobern, 2024). Loneliness has been linked with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide, associated with an increased risk for early death in patients with dementia, a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, and can be the underlying explanation of common issues like diabetes (Cobern, 2024; Gruman et al., 2016; Schumacher et al., 2024).
Not only are the impacts of loneliness and social isolation significant but the prevalence is much higher than other chronic diseases (Cobern, 2024). Loneliness is common in young people and adults as it is estimated that half of all U.S. adults are experiencing it (Cobern, 2024). According to data from the 2023 KFF Racism, Discrimination and Health Survey, one in six adults reported feeling always or often lonely in the past year, and over double the amount of young adults ages 18-29 report the same which is likely a reflection of social media and remote environments (Schumacher et al., 2024).
Medical researchers are saying that patients should know the commonality of loneliness and how it may contribute to their emotional and physical outcomes (Cobern, 2024). It is important to recognize and intervene in this major problem by finding proper solutions (Cobern, 2024). Informational appeals is one method of intervention that provides people with facts and reasoning about the importance of engaging in specific healthy behaviors (Gruman et al., 2016). To be effective, the appeal should come from a source seen as credible, such as a physician (Gruman et al., 2016). It would be beneficial for doctors to regularly check in with their patients on loneliness to show the importance of the often overlooked problem and allow them to understand the necessity of following healthy practices to reduce its effects. Additional strategies could include, increased education, awareness, research, improved social infrastructure, standardization measures, and community resources (Cobern, 2024; Schumacher et al., 2024).
“Recognizing, understanding and diagnosing [social isolation and loneliness] is only half of the equation; we need system-wide treatments to find the right match for each patient based on their individual needs, environment, and preferences,” Dr. Mylynda Massart, founder and director of the UPMC Primary Care Precision Medicine Center (Cobern, 2024).
It is evident the issue of loneliness and social isolation is an impending problem causing many to suffer. It was interesting, yet not surprising, that the younger generation is reporting the highest levels of loneliness. It is likely due to many factors but I would assume it is mostly caused by social media but also partly lasting effects of the pandemic. It will be interesting to see how further advancements in technology affect the issue of loneliness. Do you think it will improve the issue or continue to make it worse? Would you feel uncomfortable if your healthcare provider asked you if you were experiencing loneliness?
References
Cobern, J. (2024, June 1). Doctors say loneliness and social isolation should be discussed in health visits. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/doctors-loneliness-social-isolation-discussed-health-visits/story?id=110725563
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.
Schumacher, S., Panchal, N., Hamel, L., Artiga, S., & Presiado, M. (2024, June 27). Loneliness and social support networks: Findings from the KFF survey of racism, discriminationand health . KFF. https://www.kff.org/mental-health/poll-finding/loneliness-and-social-support-networks-findings-from-the-kff-survey-of-racism-discrimination-and-health/
Great post, thank you for sharing! Asking about a patient’s social environment is an important facet of assessing their health and wellbeing, an integral component of the biopsychosocial model (Gruman et al., 2017a). I appreciated the quote that you included by Dr. Mylynda Massart; I agree that recognizing and understanding social isolation and loneliness is half the battle, and that addressing this deficit in ways that best work for the individual is the other half. This type of patient interview is more resource-intensive, but well worth the time to improve the individual’s quality of life. I think one approach would be for primary care offices to be well-integrated into their communities, such that they can provide patients with information and recommendations on specific clubs, events, and social opportunities that match well with the patient’s interests. This could include anything from a walking club that meets several times each week to a weekly crocheting club to workshops on wilderness survival skills.
Your recommendation about improving social infrastructure also reminded me of the study of “Blue Zones,” where two key takeaways were the importance of social networks and a sense of belonging on promoting health and longevity (Buettner & Skemp, 2016). These principles can be applied to the social design of neighborhoods to better facilitate social interactions (Gruman et al., 2017b), including in urban environments in a manner that is appropriate for an aging population (Najafi & Mohammadi, 2024). Opportunities for this type of social design exist within public spaces, such as parks, shopping centers, libraries, coffee shops, athletic facilities, and other community spaces that foster social gathering.
You raise an interesting question about the higher rate of reported loneliness in 18–29-year-olds possibly being linked to rates of social media usage and digital engagement. I do think that social media usage can give a false sense of social interaction, and at the very least, that it is not the same quality of interaction as in-person or by-phone. Having a conversation in-person requires attentive, active listening to not just the conversational partner’s words, but also the emotion behind their words and their intention for sharing (Duhigg, 2024). When we understand the type of conversation that we are in, such as sharing information and problem-solving vs. sharing our emotions and how we feel, this can help us better connect with that person on a deeper level (Duhigg, 2024). Ultimately, that deeper level of intimacy helps us feel more heard, understood, and less lonely, underscoring both the importance of such connections and of facilitating the likelihood of these interactions.
References:
Buettner, D. & Skemp, S. (2016). Blue zones: Lessons from the world’s longest lived. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 10(5): 318-321.
Duhigg, C. (2024). Supercommunicators. Random House.
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017a). Applying social psychology to clinical and counseling psychology. In: Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (3rd Ed.). SAGE.
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017b). Applying social psychology to the environment. In: Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (3rd Ed.). SAGE.
Najafi, P. & Mohammadi, M. (2024). Redefining age-friendly neighbourhoods: Translating the promises of blue zones for contemporary urban environments. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(3): 365-390.
I love that your post intertwines the sociopsychological and biomedical. I think we intuitively know, to a certain degree, that both aspects are interrelated and effect one another, but it is clearly presented in the forefront in this post. The implications of the effects of lonliness on a person’s health is even more than I had previously thought before reading this article. It makes perfect sense, because “the effects of social support are important in helping to alleviate the negative effects of stressful circumstances.” (Gruman, 2016). We are aware that stress, combined with genetics, can help bring to the surface whatever a person may be predisposed for, on a psychological and biomedical scale. The simple act in being able to talk about our issues with a person we trust, helps mediate the effects of stress, and without it, as people who experience lonliness tend to know, there is no social outlet for them and their experiences of stress circumstances (which we all experience).
References
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications
This is a great post, I agree it is important for primary care providers to ask this question to their patients to help them understand all aspects of their health so they can provide the best care. It is sad to read that younger people are experiencing loneliness and I also feel social media and the effects of the pandemic could play a role. Loneliness is prevalent with older adults as well. In a study I came across, loneliness and social isolation can increase the risk of chronic health problems such as high blood pressure and cholesterol as older adults generally eat less healthy, are not as active which can be due to the pain of arthritis, and some are smokers and consume excessive amounts of alcohol. It has been found that those with good social networks generally follow more healthy behaviors (Shankar, 2011). By physicians following the biopsychosocial approach in their care, they can develop a comprehensive plan to help treat their patients.
Shankar, A., McMunn, A., Banks, J., & Steptoe, A. (2011). Loneliness, social isolation, and behavioral and biological health indicators in older adults. Health Psychology, 30(4), 377-385. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022826
Hello!
Your post does a great job at highlighting the rising recognition of loneliness as a real health issue, & I absolutely agree with the need for doctors & other medical professionals to bring it up as part of routine visits. I found the comparison of loneliness to smoking almost a pack of cigarettes a day to be extremely scary & underlines the severity of its impact. I also think bringing it up at doctor’s visits would be especially useful, since as stated in the text, informational appeals can be a very powerful way of encouraging healther behaviors, especially when coming from credible sources, such as your family doctor (Gruman et al., 2016). Incorporating these types of questions during visits might also help at reducing the stigma around it, leading to more people being able to seek support.
Thank you for sharing!
RMT
References:
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications