Addressing an epidemic of loneliness and isolation

OVERVIEW

The Covid pandemic and its associated policies of distancing and lockdown had severe and lingering implications for mental health and wellbeing. Social isolation is linked to poor physical health and increased risk of cognitive decline. Loneliness can skew perspectives towards a more negative worldview. People who experience increasing loneliness are more likely to embrace conspiracy theories in midlife, while isolation has been found to correlate with anti-democratic values. And as we increasingly connect with “people like us” online, that can weaken social cohesion in real life.

SIGNALS

The Covid pandemic brought home to many of us what it felt to be lonely. The long-term implications of social distancing and lockdowns are still not fully apparent, but the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that anxiety and depression worldwide increased by 25% in the first year of the pandemic, with loneliness and social isolation a major factor. US social distancing policies were associated with adverse mental health outcomes. Social isolation and distancing changed patterns of behaviour and habits. South Korea’s “untact” (contact-free) policy has lingering effects today on education, while in some contexts people are experiencing “skin hunger”, a deficit of touch. “Hermit consumers” in the rich world are spending more on staying at home, with $600 billion less than expected now spent on services outside the home.

The WHO has launched an international commission on loneliness, declaring it a global public health concern as harmful to people’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Across the world, a quarter of older people feel socially isolated. Depression among the elderly in low- and middle-income countries is much higher than in the US. The young are lonely, too; 12% of adolescents in Africa are lonely, damaging their education and job prospects. Some teenagers are turning to chatbots for psychological advice and friendships; some report growing addicted to them.

Beyond individuals’ mental health, loneliness poses a threat to societies. Online homophily – connecting with socially similar people – makes people socialize less in real life, weakening local social cohesion. One German study even found that loneliness correlated with anti-democratic attitudes, an inclination toward populism and belief in conspiracy theories.

SO WHAT FOR DEVELOPMENT?

Now that we know that isolation and loneliness are bad for your health, we owe it to future generations to preserve their options to maintain strong communities and social networks that will keep them healthy and happy. Governments like the UK, Spain and Japan are investing in programmes to reduce social isolation. Startups are focusing on social connection, bringing different generations together in person to combat loneliness and strengthen communities. We should be learning from the lessons of COVID-19 how we can pre-empt the damaging effects of compulsory isolation that might be needed in future pandemics.

Multigenerational living, the historical norm in much of the world, is on the rise again in the US and Europe (albeit mainly driven by financial necessity). It can build mutual understanding between generations and prevent loneliness. In Africa, conversely, growing individualism in “Westernising” family structures may weaken intergenerational solidarity.

Digital solutions to loneliness are a double-edged sword; social media does connect people, but it is damaging adolescent mental health. Virtual reality tools and digital pets can reduce depression in older people, but the longer-term effects of more immersive digital experiences are unknown. Such digital interactions are likely to become more frequent and powerful, as AI makes them more appealing and ubiquitous. Increasing use of digital tools – especially as human-to-AI interaction grows - could weaken our human capacity for empathy and for relationships with other humans: a dubious legacy for future generations?