So much so that the World Health Organisation has set up a Commission on Social Connection to have loneliness and social isolation recognised as a global public heath priority.
Yikes. You know it's serious when the governing bodies of the world begin to set up a whole Commission to look into it.
So, what's the solution? How can we stop feeling lonely?
Well, since 2018, the UK government has been working hard at a solution, and in 2018 became the first to launch a dedicated strategy to tackle loneliness. Since that time, millions has been poured into initiatives to bridge this social connection gap.
South Korea, with its alarmingly high loneliness rate (a staggering 77%!), has also allocated significant funds to combat social isolation, particularly in bustling metropolises like Seoul.
But has this worked? Do you feel less lonely right now than you would have say 5 or 7 years ago? The answer to that would probably depend on where you were 7 years ago.
There are a number of reasons people feel lonely; moving away from family or friends, changing jobs, or loss of loved ones. But mental health foundation, Mind, lists seven tips to manage loneliness and feel less lonely:
It’s very interesting to see that three out of the seven tips mentioned have to do with actively building social connections and interacting with other people. Loneliness isn’t just about being alone; it’s about feeling unseen or disconnected.
While much funding has gone into setting up local social groups and mental healthcare initiatives, maybe the real solution to feeling less lonely lies in leveraging community app technology to benefit our need for connection.
After all, we’re not made to do life alone.
