Around the world, an invisible threat is increasing the risk of
disease, shortening lives and fraying the fabric of our communities.
Social disconnection – when a person lacks sufficient social contact,
feels unsupported in their existing relationships, or experiences
negative or strained connections – is an increasingly serious but often
overlooked danger to health and wellbeing. There are several forms of
social disconnection, including loneliness and social isolation.
Today nearly one in six people globally report feeling lonely. Among
adolescents and young adults as well as people living in low-income
countries, the rate is even higher. But loneliness and social isolation
are not just emotional states – they can be lethal. According to a
recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO), from 2014 to
2019, loneliness was associated with more than 871,000 deaths annually –
equivalent to 100 deaths per hour. We now have irrefutable evidence
that social health – our ability to form and maintain meaningful human
connections – is just as essential to our wellbeing as physical and
mental health. Yet for too long, it has been ignored by health systems
and policymakers alike.
The report by WHO’s Commission on Social Connection comes a month after the World Health Assembly adopted the first ever resolution
on social connection. The report marks a turning point for this serious
global health threat and highlights the need for decisive leadership
and action. The commission’s report charts a clear path forward with
evidence-based strategies to reverse this scourge and strengthen the
bonds that allow individuals and societies to thrive.
Humans are hardwired for connection. From our earliest years,
relationships shape our brains, our emotions and our chances of living a
healthy life. Conversely, disconnection, whether through loneliness, or
social isolation, can have devastating impacts: It increases the risk
of heart disease, stroke, depression, anxiety, dementia and premature
death. It can also result in poor school and work performance and costs
economies and societies billions per year.
But the good news is that solutions exist. The commission’s report
outlines interventions that work – from national policies and community
programmes to campaigns and individual support strategies. It highlights
a range of successful examples: peer-to-peer support for low-income
older people in South Africa; “social prescribing” of activities to
older adults in South Korea, like music, storytelling, gardening and
self-help groups; integrating social connection into broader development
policy in Djibouti; embedding it as part of ageing policies in Albania
and in mental health policy in Spain; establishing dedicated national
strategies in countries such as Denmark, Germany, Japan, Finland, the
Netherlands and Sweden; and campaigns to encourage small acts of
kindness in Australia, Great Britain and the United States.
We call on all countries to prioritise social connection.
This is not only about personal health and wellbeing. It is also a
cornerstone of economic prosperity, national resilience and social
cohesion. Societies that foster trust and connection are more
innovative, more secure and better able to respond to crises. The
COVID-19 pandemic brought this truth into stark relief. As lockdowns
forced physical separation, the human need for connection became
unmistakable – and so did the costs of its absence.
The WHO commission proposes a global roadmap built around five key
pillars – policy, research, interventions, measurement and engagement.
The key actions it calls for are to develop national policies that
integrate social connection into health, education and labour agendas;
invest in research to better understand what works; scale up culturally
relevant and cost-effective interventions; collect better data to track
the problem and measure progress; and build a global movement to change
attitudes and reduce stigma.
It is critical that this movement includes the voices of those who
have endured the pain of loneliness and social isolation as they
understand what real solutions look like.
As leaders, we cannot afford to remain passive. Every day we delay is
another day of lost potential, unnecessary suffering and preventable
death. But if we act boldly, collaboratively and compassionately and on a
large scale, we can build healthier, more connected and more resilient
societies.
Social health is not a luxury. It is a human need. And now, more than ever, it must be a political priority.
