Why Loneliness Is a Bigger Health Risk Than You Think (And What to Do About It)

Loneliness is the feeling that the connection you have isn't the connection you need. You can feel lonely in a full office or a busy family, and you can live alone without feeling lonely at all. It's common, and it's nothing to be ashamed of.

How loneliness affects mental health

Loneliness and low mood often feed each other: feeling disconnected can make you withdraw, and withdrawing makes the disconnection worse. The NHS notes that loneliness can affect your mental health and that small steps to connect can help.

Why it matters for physical health too

A widely cited 2010 review by Holt-Lunstad and colleagues, combining 148 studies, found that people with stronger social relationships had a markedly higher likelihood of survival over the study periods than those with weaker ones. In 2023 the US Surgeon General issued an advisory on what it called an epidemic of loneliness and isolation, and the World Health Organization has set up a Commission on Social Connection to treat it as a global health priority.

These are population findings — they don't predict what will happen to any one person — but they show that connection is worth taking as seriously as sleep or exercise.

Small, realistic ways to connect

• Start tiny. A two-line message to someone you haven't spoken to in a while counts.
• Make it regular. A standing weekly call or walk is easier than planning from scratch each time.
• Do things alongside people. Clubs, classes, volunteering or team sports give conversation a reason to happen.
• Mix connection with daylight and movement. A walk with a friend helps on several fronts — see Does Sunlight Actually Affect Your Mood? and Walking for Mental Health.
• Watch the scroll. Passive scrolling can feel social without being connecting. See How to Stop Doomscrolling.

Noticing what helps you

Goodday lets you log time with friends and family next to your daily mood check-in. Over a few weeks, "What works for you" can show whether your better days tend to include more social time. It's a reflection tool, not medical care.

One small step: send one message today to someone you'd like to hear from.

Sources and further reading

• Holt-Lunstad, Smith and Layton (2010), Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review, PLOS Medicine.
• US Surgeon General (2023), Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.
• World Health Organization, Commission on Social Connection.
• NHS Every Mind Matters, Loneliness.

Not medical advice · Need help now?