Happy Valentine’s Day, fam.

Today is the day that many people across the world celebrate the love they have in their lives. Whether it’s a romantic partner, a classroom pal (don’t act like you don’t miss giving these sweet Valentine’s Day cards every year in grade school), or even yourself, today is a day to celebrate all types of relationships.

But while many are celebrating, others are struggling to find meaningful connection.

Even before the pandemic, our nation had been teetering on an epidemic of loneliness. Our US Surgeon General sounded the alarms in 2018, writing a whole book about the looming public health crisis that is “on the scale of the opioid epidemic or obesity”. Back then, one in five Americans said they always or often felt lonely or socially isolated. Since the pandemic, that number has been reported as high as 57% in adults young and old.

Loneliness, as defined by mental health professionals, is a gap between the level of connectedness that you want and the connectedness you have. Just like other forms of stress, loneliness and isolation increase the risk of mental health conditions like depression, anxiety and substance abuse, in addition to putting people at greater risk of physical conditions like heart disease, cancer, stroke, hypertension, dementia and premature death.

What’s being done?

In public health and policy

• The UK government appointed a Minister of Loneliness

• The Israeli government kicked off a $30 million initiative to alleviate loneliness in the older adult population

• US policymakers allocated $250 million to address social isolation and loneliness among older adults as part of the Build Back Better program

At work

• Companies are offering more autonomy and flexibility. It may sound counterintuitive, but offering more autonomy and flexibility at work can allow employees to spend more time with family, friends, and in community.

• Team leaders are getting intentional about time spent together. Simply adding more social time to a team’s calendar doesn’t always cultivate the depth of relationships that matter. Now is the time to reconsider how your team is interacting daily and how it impacts relational wealth.

In tech and innovation

• ElliQ is a startup responding to the immense changes in modern society that have led to more isolation and loneliness in older adults who are living longer but also farther from their families.

• Similarly, Papa is offering individuals and families access to vital companionship and care with the belief that “people need people”.

• The Commons is reimagining third places in the US by building a physical space where connection to self & others through mind & body catalyzes personal and communal transformation.

• Pace Groups combine the power of peer support with expert facilitation by bringing together small groups of 7 people to connect, open up, and share weekly.

Through grassroots movements

• Campaign to End Loneliness is a UK-based philanthropy that believes no one should be lonely in older age. They also believe that loneliness is not inevitable and are working alongside stakeholders and communities to end loneliness for all.

• Foundation for Social Connection envisions a world where all Americans have the opportunities and evidence-based supports necessary to be socially engaged in society.

What we’re reading/watching/loving

Here are some of our recent faves covering the topic of loneliness.

• 📚Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World: Dr. Vivek Murthy’s take on the epidemic of loneliness

• 📚Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make-and Keep- Friends: Dr. Marisa Franco looks at how (and why) to prioritize friendships in a world that glamorizes romantic relationships.

• 🎧A Slight Change of Plans: The Science of Loneliness: One of our fave podcasters, Maya Shankar, interviews Vivek Murthy on the science of loneliness.

• 🎧We Can Do Hard Things: How to Fix Our Loneliness with Dr. Marisa G. Franco: Glennon, Abby, and sister interview Dr. Marisa Franco on her recent book and all things loneliness.

• 🍿All the Lonely People: This documentary follows a handful of people who have documented how they overcame crippling social isolation and loneliness.

• 🍿Banshees of Insherin: No, it’s not In Brugges II, but The Banshees of Inisherin is a brilliant portrayal of many things: love, loss, anger, depression, and you guessed it - loneliness.

That’s all for now, folks. See you next week(ish) and remember …