Loneliness in 2023
What is loneliness and how can we address it?
The outlook for the mental health crisis in 2023 looks bleak. There are more adults experiencing stress now than at the same time last year. Uncertainty about the economy, job security, and political upheavals are just some of the many pressures that we are contending with. But a looming issue that is persistent in good and bad times is the increasing loneliness that Americans face. According to the National Library of Medicine, “Loneliness is defined as a distressing feeling that accompanies the perception that one’s social needs are not being met by the quantity or especially the quality of one’s social relationships.” Thus suggesting that loneliness is a subjective perception of the gap between the depth and type of connection we desire versus what we have. Experiencing this breach for extended periods of time can have harmful consequences on our mental and physical well-being.
What is causing the loneliness epidemic?
The prolonged isolation caused by COVID has exacerbated the loneliness that we feel. But it would be too naive to dismiss the loneliness epidemic as simply another byproduct of COVID. Rather, the lack of human connection was cited even before the pandemic began. So the root cause must be deeper.