The U.S. Government is concerned about loneliness – so much so that the Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, released a warning last year. “Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health,” he said.
Alone Time
The increase in loneliness is linked to several trends. One trend is social isolation, which is “measured by the average time spent alone.” In 2003, Americans spent 285 minutes/day, 142.4-hours/month alone; by 2019, it had increased to 309-minutes/day, 154.5-hours/month, and it climbed even higher during 2020.
Marriage and Family
Another reason for the increase in loneliness is the decrease in family size. “Family size and marriage rates have been in steady decline for decades,” according to the Surgeon General’s report. Living single or growing up without siblings increases the amount of alone time one spends.
Bowling Alone
Twenty-five years ago, political scientist Robert Putnam released his landmark book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. He reported that in the first half of the twentieth century, membership in civic organizations grew, peaking between 1945-1965. Then, after 1970, membership in clubs dropped precipitously. In short, Americans were leaving groups where they previously had social capital, or positive interactions with other humans. Instead of joining a bowling league, they were bowling alone. Civic institutions, like the bowling league, offer Americans social capital, or according to Putnam, “features of social organizations, such as networks, norms and trust that facilitate action and cooperation for mutual benefit.”
Church
Religious institutions, like other American institutions, have seen a decline in membership. Today, according to Pew Research, one-fifth of the U.S. public are nones, or religiously unaffiliated. There are also fewer Americans identifying as Catholics. According to Ryan Burge, a political scientist who runs the website Graphs About Religion, “there is relatively strong evidence that not only is Mass attendance declining, but so is Catholic identity.” Churches, like secular civic groups, used to be a hub for social activity for Americans in addition to a place of worship. “As a consequence of this decline in participation, individuals’ health may be undermined in different ways,” said Murthy. Returning to religion might help reverse that trend. According to Pew Research, actively religious people are happier, healthier, and more civically engaged.
