{"id":20939,"date":"2024-08-05T12:41:04","date_gmt":"2024-08-05T19:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=20939"},"modified":"2024-08-05T16:20:46","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T23:20:46","slug":"loneliness-epidemic-causes-and-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/loneliness-epidemic-causes-and-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"All the lonely people, where do they all come from?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/Loneliness_Top-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/Loneliness_Top-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/Loneliness_Top-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/Loneliness_Top-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"A painting depicts an empty street corner at night with a brightly lit diner named \"Phillies.\" Inside, three customers sit at the counter while a white-clad server attends to them.\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Edward Hopper\u2019s famous painting captures the melancholy feeling of being alone, even when among others. Unconsciously, probably, I was painting the loneliness of a large city,\u201d he once said. (<em>Nighthawks<\/em> by Edward Hopper.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=health\">Health<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>All the lonely people, where do they all come from?<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Feelings of isolation have skyrocketed in America. USC Dornsife scholars examine the complicated causes.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Margaret Crable<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">August 5, 2024<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" 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rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"E-mail\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_print\">\n              <svg height=\"12\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 12\" width=\"18\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>Being alone doesn\u2019t automatically equate with misery. French writer Michel de Montaigne famously removed himself from public life and retreated to a tower on his country estate, where he wrote about the joys of sitting with oneself in his enduring piece \u201cOn Solitude,\u201d published in 1580.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a soul able to turn in on herself; she can keep herself company; she has the wherewithal to attack, to defend, to receive and to give. Let us not fear that in such solitude as that we shall be crouching in painful idleness,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, there\u2019s a distinction between contemplative solitude and isolation. Increasingly, Americans seem to be experiencing the latter. United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared that loneliness had reached \u201cepidemic\u201d proportions. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/05\/02\/1173418268\/loneliness-connection-mental-health-dementia-surgeon-general\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nearly half of Americans<\/a> reported measurable loneliness, even before the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>Too much alone time grates on the soul, brewing melancholy and anxiety. It can have serious physical affects, too: Prolonged loneliness is associated with boosted risk of stroke, diabetes and premature death.<\/p>\n<p>Understanding the reasons behind the spike in isolation may be essential to remedying it and its effects, but USC Dornsife College of Letter, Arts and Sciences experts concede it\u2019s a complicated puzzle.<\/p>\n<h2>Empty nests, lonely neighbors<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_20940\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20940\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-20940\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/loneliness_instorya-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"A painting shows two women engaged in conversation by a white fence. One woman faces forward, wearing a blue outfit, while the other, in a pink-striped skirt, has her back to the viewer. In the background, colorful houses and other figures are visible.\" width=\"300\" height=\"328\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/loneliness_instorya-500x547.jpg 500w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/loneliness_instorya-935x1024.jpg 935w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/loneliness_instorya-768x841.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/loneliness_instorya.jpg 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-20940\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Neighbors may be more vital for our sanity than we think. (<em>Neighbors<\/em> by B.J.O. Nordfeldt\/Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Alumna <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/once-shy-alumna-helps-others-belong\/\">Cat Moore \u201905<\/a> served as USC\u2019s director of belonging from 2021 to 2024 and writes <a href=\"https:\/\/catmoore.substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a newsletter<\/a> devoted to the subject of loneliness. She reminds us that feeling lonely is a perfectly normal part of the human experience. Even those living in tight-knit communities will inevitably experience it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re not lonely in this moment, guess what? Wait a minute. Wait a year. Wait a decade. You may lose a spouse. You may lose a friend. You may change cities, change jobs,\u201d say Moore, who graduated from USC Dornsife in 2005 with a degree in <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/phil\/\">philosophy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s concerned that much of the recent public discourse around loneliness, even labeling it an epidemic, is stigmatizing a very normal feeling, one that has been with us throughout human history.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, she concedes that there is indeed an unprecedented increase in troublesome feelings of isolation, particularly in the West.<\/p>\n<p>Marriage rates in the U.S. have fallen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/video\/2023\/07\/19\/why-are-people-not-getting-married-anymore.html#:~:text=Almost%2090%25%20of%20the%20world's,for%20both%20men%20and%20women.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">by some 60% since the 1960s<\/a>. Americans are having <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewtrusts.org\/en\/research-and-analysis\/issue-briefs\/2022\/12\/the-long-term-decline-in-fertility-and-what-it-means-for-state-budgets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fewer children<\/a> and more adults are choosing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/short-reads\/2021\/11\/19\/growing-share-of-childless-adults-in-u-s-dont-expect-to-ever-have-children\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">not to have any at all<\/a>. A record <a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/stunning-social-change-record-percentage-110000677.html#:~:text=Moneywise-,'A%20stunning%20social%20change'%3A%20A%20record%20percentage%20of%20Americans,of%20'solitaries'%20has%20worrisome%20consequences\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">30% of us<\/a> live alone.<\/p>\n<p>This is, to some extent, the natural outcome of the expanding lifestyle choices available to Americans as pressure to marry and have children has receded.<\/p>\n<p>However, turning human interaction into an option, rather than a baked-in part of the day, might be accelerating our loneliness, says <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/darby-saxbe\/\">Darby Saxbe<\/a>, professor of <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/\">psychology<\/a> and founding director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/ccf\/\">USC Dornsife Center for the Changing Family<\/a>. Living communally doesn\u2019t require scheduling, making reservations or leaving the house to share a laugh or get a hug, but living alone does, she explains.<\/p>\n<p>Saxbe notes that the large, old houses in her neighborhood, once home to sprawling families, often house just one or two people these days. Emptier houses means fewer neighbors, and thus less opportunity for spontaneous encounters.<\/p>\n<p>Fewer neighbors may seem like a blessing, but living alongside others provides essential social enrichment. G.K. Chesterton wrote in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theosseminary.com\/chestertonessay\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">his essay on the importance of neighbors<\/a>: \u201cThe thing which keeps life romantic and full of fiery possibilities is the existence of these great plain limitations which force all of us to meet the things we do not like or do not expect.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Alone in the matrix<\/h2>\n<p>Technology has often promised to fill the gaps in our social fabric. Online dating once seemed like a savvy solution to perpetual singledom. Yet, these apps <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/online-dating-revolutionized-love\/\">could actually be preventing us<\/a> from making that vital love match.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_20941\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20941\" style=\"width: 299px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-20941\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/loneliness_instoryb-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"An illustration shows a person swimming in a pool shaped like a smartphone. The phone's screen serves as the pool's water.\" width=\"299\" height=\"227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/loneliness_instoryb-500x379.jpg 500w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/loneliness_instoryb-768x582.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/loneliness_instoryb.jpg 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-20941\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Is online dating losing its charm? Many young people seem to think so. (Image: iStock.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe keep thinking there are endless choices, that maybe someone better will come along,\u201d says Julie Albright, lecturer in USC Dornsife\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/map\/\">Master of Science in Applied Psychology<\/a> program and author of the book <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prometheusbooks.com\/9781633884441\/left-to-their-own-devices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Left to Their Own Devices<\/em><\/a>. \u201cBut at the end of the day, people who don\u2019t choose are going to end up lonely because they\u2019re not in a relationship. You have to choose, and you have to commit to build something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This could explain why many young people now express disillusionment with these sites and are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/end-of-dating-apps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">foregoing them altogether<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Social media, despite the 24\/7 connectivity it offers, also doesn\u2019t seem to be improving our social life. The use of these platforms is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/internet\/fact-sheet\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">climbing steadily<\/a>, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americansurveycenter.org\/research\/the-state-of-american-friendship-change-challenges-and-loss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more and more Americans report<\/a> having few (or no) close friends.<\/p>\n<p>Moore acknowledges that new technology can be helpful in keeping families connected. Her children can stay in touch with their grandparents, who live in another state, thanks to video chatting.<\/p>\n<p>However, when online connections don\u2019t translate into in-person interaction, it undermines the primary benefit of friendship. \u201cIf you cannot do basic conversational skills, like taking an interest in other people when you\u2019re in public because all you can do is navigate a digital world, that\u2019s a problem. We\u2019re not digital creatures; we\u2019re organic ones,\u201d she says<\/p>\n<p>To get the most out of much-needed in-person socializing (and to model good screen restraint to kids), Albright recommends removing phones from the line of sight altogether: \u201cThe research shows that if you even have a phone on the table, it\u2019s like a drug. Part of your attention is on that phone and you\u2019re not really paying attention to those around you.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Are you there, God? It\u2019s me, lonely<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_20942\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20942\" style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-20942\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/loneliness_instoryc-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white photo shows a group of people inside a church, holding hands and raising them together in a gesture of unity.\" width=\"350\" height=\"243\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/loneliness_instoryc-500x347.jpg 500w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/loneliness_instoryc-768x533.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/08\/loneliness_instoryc.jpg 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-20942\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">On Palm Sunday at St. Vincent\u2019s church in Los Angeles, churchgoers clasp hands in prayer. (Photo: Courtesy of Jerry Berndt Estate.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another long-standing bedrock of community is on the decline. Less than <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/341963\/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">half of Americans claim membership<\/a> in a house of worship, down from close to 75% of the population from the 1940s through the 1980s. Most Americans only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2023\/jan\/22\/us-churches-closing-religion-covid-christianity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">attend church service once a year<\/a>, and even that number is declining.<\/p>\n<p>Weekly services previously provided a built-in group of friends and acquaintances formed around a common ethos. \u201cReligion offers a common identity, despite the fact that there\u2019s always differences within [a congregation]. There is something that they all generally believe and can attest to,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/crcc.usc.edu\/people\/richard-flory\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Richard Flory<\/a>, executive director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/crcc.usc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USC Dornsife Center for Religion and Civic Culture.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Social clubs, politics or hobby groups may position themselves as alternatives, but religion leaves some pretty big shoes to fill. It also offers a pathway to self-transcendence; an experience of something beyond oneself that can help people feel a little less alone in the universe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t see that with new community groups, like SoulCycle, which are perpetually popping up. That\u2019s just not baked into their model,\u201d says Flory.<\/p>\n<p>To rebuild religious community, Flory has a few suggestions. Offer services that fit around busy family schedules, like a weekly faith dinner. People often seek opportunities to serve others and to build something together. Hosting volunteer work and community outreach may also get people back in the pews, says Flory.<\/p>\n<h2>Every lonely person is lonely in their own way<\/h2>\n<p>There may be another component to the problem: a person\u2019s unique, biological make-up.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/brain-scans-lonely-people-process-unique\/\">A study<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/elisa-baek\/\">Elisa Baek<\/a>, assistant professor of psychology at USC Dornsife, revealed that lonely people\u2019s brains process the world differently than those who aren\u2019t lonely. It also showed that each lonely person processed the world distinctly from other lonely people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe \u2018Anna Karenina principle\u2019 is a fitting description of lonely people, as they experience loneliness in an idiosyncratic way, not in a universally relatable way,\u201d says Baek.<\/p>\n<p>For Moore, there is no one \u201cloneliness\u201d with a capital \u201cL.\u201d There are only individual experiences of loneliness as diverse and complex as human life.<\/p>\n<p>Wherever you might fall on the isolation scale at present, our radically changing social landscape means that we have all become pioneers in unfamiliar terrain, she says. \u201cThat will require us to be extraordinarily proactive, extraordinarily self-aware and extraordinarily innovative.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/older-patients-willing-to-travel-longer-than-expected-for-health-care\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >How far will seniors go for a doctor visit? Often much farther than expected<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/eaton-fire-sent-a-pollution-wave-across-los-angeles\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Eaton fire sent a pollution wave across Los Angeles<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/ai-may-be-making-us-think-and-write-more-alike\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >AI may be making us think and write more alike<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Feelings of isolation have skyrocketed in America. USC Dornsife scholars examine the complicated causes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":20947,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[286,112,60,1393],"class_list":["post-20939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-center-for-the-changing-family","tag-psychology","tag-research","tag-usc-center-for-religion-and-civic-culture"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>All the lonely people, where do they all come from?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Feelings of isolation have skyrocketed in America. USC Dornsife scholars examine the complicated causes and suggest remedies\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/loneliness-epidemic-causes-and-solutions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Loneliness is on the rise. Here\u2019s why and what to do\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Feelings of isolation have skyrocketed in America. 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