MANY OF THE TIES that connect us have been severed. Along with the pandemic’s isolation measures came the rise of remote work and an uptick in moves out of major metros. More people have found themselves separated from strong support systems, and the physical and emotional distance is pushing some to the brink.
“The pandemic has had a number of invisible costs in our country, and the increase in loneliness, the increase in mental health strain, these are part of those costs,” Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. surgeon general, said at Fortune’s Brainstorm Health conference in Marina del Rey, Calif., in April.
Even before the pandemic, loneliness was commonplace, with the health impact of loneliness is comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. It’s a strong predictor of poor physical and mental health outcomes and early mortality.
