Loneliness alert: A third of adults in the United States have no close personal relationships (Cigna, 2021), and the rates of loneliness are on the increase, with 49 percent of U.S. adults reporting having three or fewer friends, a percentage that’s doubled since 1990 (Cox, 2021). Why does this matter?

Depression: Research demonstrates that lonely individuals are significantly more likely to be clinically depressed (Mann et al., 2022). Loneliness is associated with self-harm (Shoib et al., 2023) and predicts suicide ideation and attempts.

Other health effects: Lonely people are more likely to experience hypertension, fatigue, and poorer quality of sleep (see Momtaz et al., 2012; Jaremka et al., 2013; Floyd et al., 2025). Further, lonely persons are 26........

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