One in three Americans feels lonely every week, and new research reveals that everyday behaviors from how we scroll social media to where we work are fueling the epidemic.
In May 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy made an unprecedented declaration: loneliness has become a public health epidemic. The data backing that statement is staggering. According to a January 2024 poll from the American Psychiatric Association, 30% of adults experience loneliness at least once a week, while 10% feel lonely every single day.
More recent data shows the crisis deepening. A Gallup survey from September 2024 found that 20% of American adults now experience daily loneliness, representing approximately 52 million people. That's a three-point increase since the start of 2024 alone.
But here's what the data doesn't always show: how we got here. While researchers initially blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for our disconnection, studies reveal that many daily habits Americans adopted long before 2020 have been quietly eroding social connection for years. According to a May 2024 survey from Harvard's Making Caring Common project, when asked what contributes to loneliness in America, 73% of respondents pointed to technology, 66% cited insufficient time with family, and 62% identified being too busy or exhausted.
1) Passive scrolling through social media instead of actually engaging
Not all screen time affects loneliness equally. A December 2024 study from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre found that how young Europeans use social media matters far more than how much time they spend online. Passive consumption, often called "doomscrolling," reinforces feelings of disconnection rather than alleviating them.
The distinction is critical. Passive use includes browsing without interaction, watching others' content, and scrolling through feeds without engaging. Active use involves posting, commenting, and having actual conversations. Research examining social media use patterns across Europe revealed that approximately 34.5% of respondents aged 16-30 use social networking sites for more than two hours daily, with over one-third showing patterns consistent with social media addiction.
A nine-year longitudinal study published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin examined nearly 7,000 Dutch adults and found something unexpected: both passive and active social media use were linked to increased loneliness over time. "While social media offers unprecedented access to online communities, it appears that extensive use—whether active or passive—does not alleviate feelings of loneliness and may, in fact, intensify them," lead researcher James A. Roberts explained.
2) Working remotely without intentional social connection
Remote work promised flexibility and better work-life balance. What it delivered for many was isolation. A 2024 study analyzing data from the Household Pulse Survey found that among 87,317 employed U.S. adults, those working remotely 3-4 days per week had 16% higher odds of reporting loneliness compared to those not working remotely. Those working remotely five or more days showed 9% higher odds.
The problem isn't remote work itself, but rather the loss of spontaneous, casual interactions that happen naturally in physical offices. Neuroscience research reveals that only in-person interactions trigger the full suite of physiological responses and neural synchronization required for optimal human communication and trust-building. Virtual channels like videoconferencing actually disrupt our processing of communicative information.
"When working exclusively remotely, social interactions with co-workers were significantly reduced," according to research on healthcare workers published in 2024. "When interactions between colleagues occur during virtual meetings, a person's psychological need to belong is not often fulfilled, as the conversations remain work and task focused." A May 2024 analysis found that since 2020, remote work has tripled the time Americans spend in meetings, leaving less time for the casual colleague interactions known to increase workplace happiness.
3) Prioritizing digital convenience over face-to-face interaction
In-person communications have dropped dramatically alongside the increase in time spent online. The Harvard study found that 21% of adults in the U.S. feel lonely, with many feeling disconnected from friends, family, and the world. Technology topped the list of contributors, with 73% identifying it as a factor.
This isn't just about social media. It's about choosing to text instead of call, ordering groceries online instead of shopping in person, attending virtual events instead of physical ones, and streaming content alone rather than going to movies or concerts. Each individual choice seems minor, but collectively they eliminate the low-stakes social interactions that help humans feel connected.
Research shows that younger adults are particularly affected. According to the 2024 data, 30% of Americans aged 18-34 reported feeling lonely every day or several times a week, significantly higher than other age groups. This generation has grown up with digital interaction as the default, and the long-term consequences are becoming clear.
4) Letting friendships drift without active maintenance
The Making Caring Common project found that 81% of adults who reported loneliness also suffered from anxiety or depression, compared to only 29% of those who were less lonely. One key finding: 61% of lonely adults reported not having enough close friends or family, while 67% said they don't feel part of meaningful groups.
Friendships don't maintain themselves. Research shows that without intentional effort, relationships naturally drift apart. The problem is that maintaining friendships has become increasingly difficult in American culture. People work longer hours, commute farther, and have less free time for social activities. When they do have time, many default to passive activities like watching TV or scrolling social media rather than reaching out to friends.
The solution identified by respondents themselves was straightforward: "taking time each day to reach out to a friend or family member." This simple habit was the most endorsed solution for combating loneliness, yet it's also one of the most commonly neglected in daily life.
5) Skipping community activities and civic engagement
Since Robert D. Putnam's landmark 2000 study "Bowling Alone," researchers have documented the steady decline in American participation in civic life and community groups. This trend has only accelerated. From 1990 to 2010, the number of Americans reporting no close confidants tripled, according to meta-analyses of social isolation research.
The Making Caring Common research found that 67% of lonely respondents reported not feeling part of meaningful groups. Strikingly, 19% of all respondents and 40% of lonely respondents said they don't feel "part of this country." This existential disconnection reflects not just personal isolation but a breakdown in community bonds.
Community activities, faith-based organizations, volunteer work, and civic groups traditionally provided structured opportunities for regular social interaction. As participation in these activities has declined, so too have the social networks they supported. The 2025 Cigna loneliness report found that two-thirds of caregivers and parents of young children classify as lonely, partly because they lack time for community engagement.
6) Choosing efficiency over connection in daily routines
Modern life prioritizes efficiency above almost everything else. We optimize commutes, automate tasks, and eliminate "wasted" time. But many of those inefficiencies were actually opportunities for human connection—chatting with a barista, small talk with neighbors, conversations with coworkers during lunch, or catching up with acquaintances at local businesses.
The shift to remote and hybrid work exemplifies this pattern. While it eliminates commute time and increases flexibility, it also removes hundreds of small interactions that occurred naturally in office environments. Even when people do go to offices, a 2024 analysis found that only 8% of meetings are face-to-face, leaving workers with mostly virtual relationships even when physically present.
This efficiency-first mindset extends beyond work. Self-checkout lanes, delivery services, and digital banking all reduce human interaction. Each individual efficiency gain seems beneficial, but collectively they've created an environment where it's possible to go days without meaningful social contact.
The health consequences are severe
The Surgeon General's 2023 advisory laid out stark health implications. Social isolation increases the risk of premature death by 29%, equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes per day. Loneliness increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and dementia, and is associated with lower academic performance and decreased productivity at work. Among older adults, social isolation accounts for an extra $6.7 billion in Medicare spending annually.
The 2025 Cigna research found that lonely workers are 35% more likely to miss at least one day of work per month, 42% more likely to come to work feeling mentally somewhere else, and 36% more likely to seek a new job. More than half of American workers now report feeling lonely, with significant implications for productivity and engagement.
What's next for addressing the epidemic
Understanding these daily habits is the first step toward change. The October 2024 Harvard research suggests that the solution people endorse most is also the most accessible: taking time each day to reach out to a friend or family member. Other research-backed strategies include coming into the office even once or twice a month to boost workplace connections, limiting passive social media use in favor of active engagement or complete breaks, and intentionally scheduling in-person activities rather than defaulting to digital convenience.
As bipartisan legislative proposals like Senator Chris Murphy's National Strategy for Social Connection Act move forward, addressing loneliness is finally being recognized as the serious public health crisis it has become. But policy alone won't solve the problem. The daily habits that created this epidemic can be changed, one small interaction at a time.
