Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad

Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.

Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.

Yeah, no, I mean, it's not new, but certainly we are hearing a lot more about it in public discourse for sure. So I've been doing research on this for a little over two decades, and certainly I'm not the first to do research on this. And so the scientific evidence around this has been building for decades.

Yeah, no, I mean, it's not new, but certainly we are hearing a lot more about it in public discourse for sure. So I've been doing research on this for a little over two decades, and certainly I'm not the first to do research on this. And so the scientific evidence around this has been building for decades.

But I think one thing that, well, I should say there were growing concerns in the public even before the pandemic. So we saw the UK appoint a minister for loneliness back in, I think it was 2017 or 2018. And we started hearing things like concerns of, quote unquote, loneliness epidemic.

But I think one thing that, well, I should say there were growing concerns in the public even before the pandemic. So we saw the UK appoint a minister for loneliness back in, I think it was 2017 or 2018. And we started hearing things like concerns of, quote unquote, loneliness epidemic.

But then we experienced a global pandemic in which we all needed to reduce our social contact in order to reduce the spread of the virus. this really had a a global impact on people's levels of not only social contact but just isolation and feeling lonely and uh

But then we experienced a global pandemic in which we all needed to reduce our social contact in order to reduce the spread of the virus. this really had a a global impact on people's levels of not only social contact but just isolation and feeling lonely and uh

everyone to some extent, really felt it, whether it was themselves very profoundly lonely, or people they knew and cared about really, really struggling. And so I think this brought greater public awareness to some of the kind of at least the emotional effects, but we have very good evidence of the physical effects as well.

everyone to some extent, really felt it, whether it was themselves very profoundly lonely, or people they knew and cared about really, really struggling. And so I think this brought greater public awareness to some of the kind of at least the emotional effects, but we have very good evidence of the physical effects as well.

Well, I wonder if it makes sense to maybe first define what loneliness means. Because in the public discourse, we hear loneliness being used quite broadly. And it is often used as a catch-all term to encompass all the ways in which we can perhaps lack social connection. But of course, it actually means something a little bit more narrow than that.

Well, I wonder if it makes sense to maybe first define what loneliness means. Because in the public discourse, we hear loneliness being used quite broadly. And it is often used as a catch-all term to encompass all the ways in which we can perhaps lack social connection. But of course, it actually means something a little bit more narrow than that.

And so I think it's first important to distinguish it from isolation because we also use the terms isolation and loneliness interchangeably. And so isolation is really more objectively being alone, having few relationships, infrequent social contact.

And so I think it's first important to distinguish it from isolation because we also use the terms isolation and loneliness interchangeably. And so isolation is really more objectively being alone, having few relationships, infrequent social contact.

Whereas loneliness is really more the subjective feeling, a distressing feeling that comes from the discrepancy between our desired level of connection and our actual level of connection. And so of course they often can co-occur because objectively being alone can increase our risk of feeling alone.

Whereas loneliness is really more the subjective feeling, a distressing feeling that comes from the discrepancy between our desired level of connection and our actual level of connection. And so of course they often can co-occur because objectively being alone can increase our risk of feeling alone.

Uh, but often people, um, are not isolated, um, uh, and, and, you know, they're surrounded by other people, um, and, and still feel lonely. Uh, so we often hear terms like feeling lonely in a crowd, um, feeling lonely at a party, even feeling lonely in a marriage. And conversely, we can be objectively alone, but not feel lonely. And so we might actually, enjoy that time of solitude.

Uh, but often people, um, are not isolated, um, uh, and, and, you know, they're surrounded by other people, um, and, and still feel lonely. Uh, so we often hear terms like feeling lonely in a crowd, um, feeling lonely at a party, even feeling lonely in a marriage. And conversely, we can be objectively alone, but not feel lonely. And so we might actually, enjoy that time of solitude.

But one of the important things to note is that both isolation and loneliness are associated with risk, but they're also part of a larger aspects of how we might lack connection. So we might lack connection because we don't have people to rely on for support. We might lack connection because of poor quality relationships.

But one of the important things to note is that both isolation and loneliness are associated with risk, but they're also part of a larger aspects of how we might lack connection. So we might lack connection because we don't have people to rely on for support. We might lack connection because of poor quality relationships.