With remote work and social media dominating so much of our lives these days, the impact on this generation’s mental health and relationships is starting to be seen more clearly.
This is especially true in Gen Z adults, where a new report found that 60% of adults between the ages of 18 and 24 report feelings of loneliness. But it’s not just young adults. More broadly, the study found that 40% of all adults regularly go at least three days without a meaningful face-to-face interaction.
But even in social settings, people are having a hard time. 28% reported feeling lonely while attending a social event, and a quarter feel isolated in their workplace.
It’s a growing problem. As we reported last year, loneliness has been declared an official epidemic by Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. surgeon general, who reported that loneliness is as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.
So if everyone is feeling lonely, why aren’t they changing that? Part of the problem stems from the hesitation to even talk about it. Only 14% of respondents said they “often” talk to others about their lonely feelings, while 62% believe there is still a negative stigma around the issue.
Levi Lusko, pastor of Fresh Life Church in Montana, knows this problem well. In his book Marvel at the Moon, Lusko explores how people can work through feelings of loneliness and anxiety to find true connection with others.
“Loneliness and anxiety is not just a current problem,” Lusko told RELEVANT. “We have to always remind ourselves to ground ourselves in true history. It’s a human problem. It’s always been a thing, but it is in our country, in our culture, something that we have the privilege of dealing with more and more because we are capable of being complicit in our own suffering. Technology and the modern age has allowed us to build lives where we don’t talk to people anymore.”
And keeping those feelings bottled up only leads to more issues. The study found that loneliness has a direct impact on confidence, anxiety levels and quality of sleep. Two in five (42%) said their sleep gets worse when they feel lonely, and 29 percent see themselves as less attractive.
The silver lining is that there is “a cure” for loneliness. Forty-three percent of respondents shared that something as simple as bonding over a shared interest with someone else would make them feel less alone, while a third said that being part of a community or group could also help decrease feelings of loneliness.
“Joining something like a small group or simply going to a bingo night can make a huge difference in dealing with loneliness,” Lusko said. “I think if you go to an environment where you have to interact with people, you’re not going regret that.”
