Balance

Loneliness

Ironically, if you feel alone, you’re in good company—nearly one in four Americans report feeling alone or left out, according to a national Cigna survey of 20,000 adults living in the U.S. Single parents, those living alone and members of Generation Z (adults age 18–22) are particularly vulnerable. If you feel persistently lonely, you may try:

• Getting a good night’s sleep: Respondents who reported getting the right amount of sleep had an average loneliness score four points lower than those who reported sleeping less and 7.3 points lower than those who slept more than desired.
• Spending time with friends or family in person: Nearly 9 in 10 of those who have daily in-person interactions say their overall health and mental health is good, very good or excellent, while only around half of those who never have in person interactions say the same.
• Exercising: On average, people who feel good, very good or excellent about their physical health and mental health have lower loneliness scores than those who rate their physical/mental health as fair or poor.
• Develop good working relationships with your coworkers: Nearly 9 in 10 of those who say their relationships with coworkers are good, very good or excellent are in good, very good or excellent overall health, compared to 65% of those with fair or poor relationships with coworkers.