Dr. Alice Chen on Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Women's Health - A Discussion

Loneliness, social isolation, and disconnection from community can happen to anyone, but extended periods can lead to devastating emotional and physical health outcomes. In a solid marriage, single, dating or in relationship, widowed, corporate climber, college student, living with family or in assisted living we are all susceptible, but we may be even more so given the current public health crisis requiring that we physically distance from one another.

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• More than one fifth of adults in the U.S. (22 percent) and the U.K. (23 percent) say they often or always feel lonely, feel that they lack companionship, feel left out, or feel isolated from others.*

• Loneliness and social isolation can be as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and is more dangerous than obesity.**

• Two in five Americans report that they sometimes or always feel their social relationships are not meaningful, and one in five say…