It’s when it persists that it becomes harmful.”Ĭalling someone you feel close to and engaging in a meaningful conversation over the phone can alleviate loneliness. That’s loneliness acting like hunger or thirst, a signal our body sends us when we need something for survival. If you feel lonely, you pick up the phone and call a friend, and then it goes away, or you get in the car and go see a family member, that’s OK. … I think the time you get concerned is when you start experiencing a feeling of loneliness for prolonged periods of time. It can look like different things,” Murthy told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Monday. “Loneliness I think of as a great masquerader. In people of all ages, they may be associated with higher risks of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, addiction, suicidality and self-harm, and dementia.īut social connection can help, Murthy’s office said in a statement, serving as a buffer to health problems while making communities more resilient. In older people, they’re tied to symptoms such as pain, insomnia, depression, anxiety and shorter life span. Research has showed that loneliness and isolation are linked to sleep problems, inflammation and immune changes in younger adults. “And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic cut off so many of us from friends, loved ones, and support systems.” “In recent years, about one-in-two adults in America reported experiencing loneliness,” Murthy says in the advisory. Strong, steady friendships may be an asset to your physiological health, study shows

Smiling multiracial female friends having fun at picnic in the park - group of healthy friends having a picnic StratfordProductions/Adobe Stock

The long loneliness