The loneliest states in the US

The data comes from the Census Bureau's most recent Household Pulse Survey, an online survey designed to quickly assess Americans' economic and financial well-being, among other things. The most recent survey was conducted between July 23 and Aug. 19 and had nearly 60,000 respondents.

Overall, 40.3% of Americans said they experienced feelings of loneliness at least sometimes. The survey found the five states with the highest rates of loneliness were:

• Alaska (45.9%)
• Oregon (44.7%)
• Virginia (43.3%)
• West Virginia (42.9%)
• Arkansas (42.7%)

Meanwhile, the five states with the lowest rates of loneliness were:

• Iowa (35.9%)
• Delaware (36.5%)
•  Wisconsin (37%)
• Tennessee (37%)
• Florida (37.5%)

What loneliness can do to your health

Research has found that loneliness can have a significant impact on your health.

Last year, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared loneliness and isolation an epidemic "that has harmed individual and societal health.

In a New York Times op-ed, Murthy said that loneliness "is more than just a bad feeling. When people are socially disconnected, their risk of anxiety and depression increases." In addition, the risk of heart disease (29%), dementia (50%), and stroke (32%) all increase.

Notably, the increased risk of premature death associated with social disconnection roughly equates to smoking 15 cigarettes a day — and it may be even greater than the risk associated with obesity.

Along with the individual consequences, loneliness and isolation impact whole communities. According to Murthy, social disconnection is associated with decreased productivity in the workplace, poor academic performance, and lower civic engagement.

In addition, data from CDC's 2021 National Health Interview Survey, which was released earlier this year, found that living alone was linked to higher rates of self-reported depression than living with other people.

Specifically, the survey found that 16% of U.S. adults lived alone in 2021 and 6.4% of them reported depression compared to 4.1% of those who lived with others.

"It's not that living alone is bad for you, [but] there's something about living with another person that can create a little bit of a push to do habits that can improve your mood," said Jenny Taitz, a psychologist.

According to Kelsey McNamara, senior director of research at Papa, an organization that provides paid companionship to people who need social support, loneliness among both young people and older adults is a health problem, and it needs more attention.

"Loneliness increases the risk of premature death, independent of other kinds of physical and mental health conditions," McNamara said. "You probably have heard the statistic that loneliness is just as dangerous as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. And the relationship between loneliness and chronic conditions is bi-directional: inflammation and the biological conditions of loneliness can lead to illness, but also, having a chronic condition and the isolated experience and disabilities that might come up also leads to loneliness." (Fitzpatrick, Axios, 9/27; Mallenbaum, Axios, 2/15)

3 ways to leverage social connections for healthy living

By Sydney Moondra

Loneliness has emerged as a pressing health concern with far-reaching consequences for our mental and physical well-being. But there is hope. Social support can be a powerful inoculant and cure for Americans grappling with the effects loneliness and social isolation.

Here are three ways stakeholders can leverage connection as a tool to address this national priority.

       1. Embed social support as a critical part of any treatment plan

Our psychological and physiological well-being are inextricably linked, making it important to include both clinical and social solutions when treating patients.

Vivek Murthy explains the connection in his book "Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World," saying, "[t]he sensory fibers that register emotional physical pain overlap in the brain. This proximity means that loneliness, loss, or disappointment can produce symptoms similar to those caused by physical blows or wounds." 

According to Murthy, "[i]f you feel shunned, researchers have found, you're likely to flinch the same way you would if slapped. If the shunning and slapping occurring during an fMRI, the same region of the brain (the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex) will light up in both events."

Because of this connection, stakeholders should consider incentivizing providers to include critical social determinants of health information — like access to support systems — into clinical documentation and care planning. As it currently stands, V and Z codes are underused. But they can provide critical information on social connection (or lack thereof) as a key determinant that affects the diagnosis, course, prognosis, and treatment of clinical conditions.

         2.  Dedicate staff to provide peer support and care to patients  

If you aren't already, utilize community health workers and peer support specialists as a part of your "prescription," especially for chronic conditions that require patient education and support.

Not only can these individuals provide tactical guidance and improve health literacy, but they can also provide an additional physiological element of healing by helping others feel heard.

We are inherently social creatures — and we require community to stay healthy and heal effectively. As Maia Szalavitz and Bruce Perry share in their book "Born for Love," "[h]umankind would have not endured and cannot continue without the capacity to form rewarding, nurturing, and enduring relationships. We survive because we can love. And we love because we can empathize — that is, stand in another's shoes and care about what it feels like to be there."

Likewise, having staff dedicated to creating community and a sense of belonging for patients can help further reduce psychological and physiological harm. Having reliable social ties and feelings of "togetherness" increases endurance to stressful events and reduces the chance of developing long-term effects like burnout and trauma related conditions.   

        3. Healthcare providers stand to benefit most from connection

Healthcare providers are one of the subsects of the population that stand to benefit most from spaces to build connection and shared space.

For a group that has largely adopted an "I'm fine culture" and an ethos of prioritizing others over themselves, connecting with one another and avoiding the loneliness of holding the emotional toll of patient care is imperative.

Just as loneliness carries the ability to harm, community has the potential to heal — and even prevent harm in the first place. In our research, we've seen time and time again the value of intentionally giving healthcare workers time and space to connect with one another for the sole intention of building resilience and withstanding burnout — and all the harmful physiological and psychological effects that come with it. 

Build spaces for your workforce to connect — and not just in times of crisis. Embed peer connection and social support as part of your workplace strategy. To learn more about how these programs can support workers and help build a sense of community, read about how ChristianaCare provides system-wide peer-to-peer support and how Henry Ford stood up a peer-to-peer emotional support program.