Over the weekend, I attended a talk by Jeremy Nobel, author of Project UnLonely. Dr. Nobel discussed why we need to be concerned about the increase in loneliness and disconnection we are seeing in our world today. He also offered some possible solutions to the loneliness crisis.
Being Alone vs. Being Lonely
Dr. Nobel started his talk by showing us a picture similar to the one you see above. He asked us to raise our hands if we thought the individual riding the bike was lonely.
He then explained that being alone doesn’t and being lonely are not the same. Some people are quite happy spending time alone. Loneliness arises when there’s a sense that something is missing. It’s a gap between the social connections we have and the social connections we want to have.
Everyone is at some risk for loneliness, but Dr. Nobel spoke of a “loneliness spiral”, often triggered by some sort of event that causes an individual to pull back and disconnect. That leads to increased loneliness, leading others to disconnect from the individual, resulting in the lonely becoming lonelier.
Why We Need To Be Concerned
Increasing levels of loneliness and social isolation affect our health, and the impact spills over into our workplaces.
First, loneliness affects our mental, physical and social health. Studies show a lack of social connection is more dangerous to our health than smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, drinking 5 alcoholic drinks a day, being physically inactive, or being obese. In 2022, the Journal of the American Heart Association reported social isolation and loneliness are associated with a 30% increased risk of heart attack, stroke or death from either.
In addition to the health impacts, Dr. Nobel spoke of the impact of loneliness in our workplaces. While it’s easy to blame the pandemic, loneliness at work was on the rise before 2020.
And, like other personal issues, employees don’t leave their loneliness issues at home when they come into work every day. Loneliness could negatively impact your workplace in three ways:
- Increased benefit costs and reduced productivity. Lonely people cost their employers 22% more thanks to increased consumption of health care benefits.
- Reduced ability to collaborate effectively with co-workers and customers.
- Negative impact on inclusion and diversity.
It’s clear that loneliness is something we need to be concerned about. So, what can we do about it?
Potential Solutions to Loneliness
As a lover of the arts, I was intrigued when Dr. Nobel spoke about the potential of the arts and creative expression to be part of the solution to loneliness in our workplaces. He explained the arts offer a personalized, fun and non-threatening way to engage people of all ages. Creative expression gives people a chance to express who they are, and activates people mentally, emotionally and behaviourally.
The Foundation for Art & Healing’s UnLonely Workshops and Creativity Circles blend creative expression, mindfulness and social learning. The “Colors and Connection” and “Music and Connection” workshops led to attitudinal improvements and behavioural improvements. You can learn more at artandhealing.org.
On a simpler level, Dr. Nobel said the key to being less lonely is being human. Opening up and connecting with individuals on a personal level is something we can all do every day. Although this is more difficult in a world where we increasingly depend on technology to communicate, it is possible.
As a simple first step, I encourage you to identify people who may be feeling lonely and make an effort to connect with them. It can be as simple as sharing something about yourself and asking them about their family, their pets, their hobbies, or just how their day is going. It could make a big difference in their lives.
Attendees at Dr. Nobel’s presentation received a copy of his book Project UnLonely. I look forward to reading it and reporting my learnings in a future post.
What do you think? Is loneliness out of control in our world today? What can we do to address it? Drop me a comment below with your thoughts.
Learn more about me in my bio and on my personal blog at BoomerEcoCrusader.com. You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.