Note from Josh: Social Distancing and Loneliness

The epidemic of loneliness is being worsened by the social distancing measures of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While social distancing is an important consideration to stay safe from getting ill, it is definitely adding to the problems of isolation and loneliness and depression. Below I list six findings from an informative article that explains the problem in greater detail.
Praying for YOU, friend,

Josh D. McDowell
 


Social Distancing and Loneliness

“There’s a very real problem with this strategy, however. While social distancing may be the best way to fight the coronavirus, it may very well exacerbate an already existing epidemic: loneliness.”
1. “Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy put it, “We live in the most technologically connected age in the history of civilization, yet rates of loneliness have doubled since the 1980s.””
“The health impact of this loneliness epidemic is incredible.”
2. “According to Murthy, “the impact of social isolation and loneliness on longevity equals that of smoking 15 cigarettes a day and exceeds the risks associated with obesity, excessive alcohol consumption and lack of exercise.””
3. “A recent report from the National Academy of Science found that “social isolation has been linked to a 50 percent increased risk of dementia, a 29 percent increased risk of heart disease and a 32 percent increased risk of stroke.””
4. “To put it plainly, loneliness can be just as lethal, maybe more so, than COVID-19, at least over the long run.”
5. “A 2019 YouGov survey found that “27 percent of millennials have no close friends, 25 percent have no ‘acquaintances’ and 22 percent … have no buddies at all.””
6. “Generation Z may be the loneliest generation on record. According to a 2018 Cigna survey, those born in 1995 or later report greater feelings of loneliness and worse health than any other generation.”
(John Stonestreet & Roberto Rivera, “Social Distancing and Loneliness”, BreakPoint, April 2, 2020, https://breakpoint.org/social-distancing-and-loneliness/)

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