loneliness

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Why Gen Z Is Opting Out of Dating and Romance
Why Gen Z Is Opting Out
of Dating and Romance
OPINION
Mar 3, 2026 8:51 AM CST

Why Gen Z Is Opting Out of Dating and Romance

Online nihilism, anxiety, and dating apps leave young adults isolated: Christine Emba

(Newser) - Gen Z's dating drought isn't about indifference to romance so much as a retreat from it, argues Christine Emba in a New York Times opinion piece on the rise of "looksmaxxing." She traces how a new cohort of mostly young men, steeped in online "manosphere"...

Elderly Widow Finds New Companion in 'ElliQ'
Elderly Widow Finds
New Companion in 'ElliQ'
LONGFORM
Feb 21, 2026 8:30 AM CST

Elderly Widow Finds New Companion in 'ElliQ'

NYT looks at Jan Worrell's experience with robot designed to combat seniors' isolation

(Newser) - An octogenarian on Washington's remote Long Beach Peninsula has become the test case for a very modern roommate: an artificial intelligence-driven robot that's supposed to combat loneliness. Writing for the New York Times , Eli Saslow follows 85-year-old Jan Worrell as she reluctantly accepts an ElliQ device —part...

Our Loneliness Problem Is Only Worsening

New survey classifies 40% of Americans over 45 as lonely

(Newser) - Loneliness isn't just a problem for older Americans—it's a worsening one, finds a new AARP report . Based on surveys of more than 3,000 adults ages 45 and older, the report found that 40% of respondents were classified as lonely, up from 35% in 2018 and 2010....

Optimists' Brains Really Do Think Alike
Optimists' Brains
Really Do Think Alike
NEW STUDY
Jul 22, 2025 10:44 AM CDT

Optimists' Brains Really Do Think Alike

Brain scans reveal similar brain activity in the more upbeat among us

(Newser) - If you tend to see the glass as half full, your brain may have more in common with other optimists than you think. A new study from researchers at Japan's Kobe University suggests that people with positive outlooks actually share similar patterns of brain activity when imagining the...

If Loneliness Was a Game, Our Young Men Would Be Winning

US men aged 15-34 are among the loneliest groups in the West, according to Gallup

(Newser) - The loneliness epidemic encompasses the globe, but especially American men. Aggregated Gallup data from 2023 and 2024 reveals 25% of US men aged 15 to 34 reported feeling lonely a lot during the previous day, which is significantly higher than the national average. About 18% of Americans overall reported the...

Three Ways Tech Makes Us Lonelier
Three Ways Tech
Makes Us Lonelier
Nov 17, 2024 5:00 PM CST

Three Ways Tech Makes Us Lonelier

New York Times columnist calls out binge-watching, texting, and social media comparisons

(Newser) - Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared loneliness an epidemic in America last year, inciting a frenzy of studies on the root for this social shift. For the New York Times , tech columnist Brian X. Cheng writes that this sent him down a "rabbit hole" of his own as he...

Emerging Theory: 'Loneliness Is a Symptom of Dementia'

Meta-analysis finds condition boosts risk of cognitive impairment by 15% and dementia by 31%

(Newser) - Loneliness isn't just associated with a higher risk of death , but also a higher risk of dementia, new research suggests. A meta-analysis of 21 studies involving more than 600,000 people finds loneliness is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia from any cause. Participants were...

Times Tech Writer Hangs With 18 AI Friends for a Month

Kevin Roose explores the growing 'companion' business, sees a way it can be helpful

(Newser) - You may remember Kevin Roose as the New York Times tech writer who got a little freaked out when the Bing AI chatbot tried to undermine his marriage. Now Roose is back with a Times story about how he hung out with a crew of AI "companions." He...

Therapy May Not Be the Answer to Your Mental Health Woes

Clinical psychologist Emily Edlynn says venting to a professional might not be for everyone

(Newser) - If you've been having a hard time dealing with life's stresses or anxiety, or even loneliness, making an appointment with a therapist might seem the reasonable thing to do. Not so fast, advises Emily Edlynn, a clinical psychologist who cautions that therapy shouldn't be the default for...

Monthly Visits Could Be a Lifeline in Loneliness Epidemic
Research Suggests
Loneliness Can Be Deadly
NEW STUDY
Nov 10, 2023 12:58 PM CST

Research Suggests Loneliness Can Be Deadly

Study links social isolation with increased risk of death, but even infrequent visits help

(Newser) - If you haven't seen your older loved ones in a while, now might be the time to pop over. New research, adding to a growing focus on what some call an " epidemic of loneliness ," shows people who live alone and don't receive visits from friends or...

Kayaker Stumbles on Stranded Sheep, 'Britain's Loneliest'

Woman first spotted creature at bottom of Scottish cliff in 2021, then again recently

(Newser) - A kayaker has made what she calls a "heart-rending" discovery: a sheep she believes has been stuck at the bottom of a Scottish cliff, by itself, for quite some time. Now, Jillian Turner is pleading for help for the woolly creature. The Brora resident tells the Northern Times that...

US' Top Doc: We Need to 'Pull Back the Curtain' on This Risk

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says widespread loneliness can be as risky to health as smoking

(Newser) - Widespread loneliness in the US poses health risks as deadly as smoking a dozen cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually, the US surgeon general said Tuesday in declaring the latest public health epidemic. About half of US adults say they've experienced loneliness, Dr. Vivek Murthy...

People in Dense Cities Feel Lonelier
As Housing Density Increases,
So Does Loneliness
NEW STUDY
Aug 2, 2021 2:52 PM CDT

As Housing Density Increases, So Does Loneliness

Isolation 'endemic' in 21st-century cities

(Newser) - People in Britain's cities—especially men and the elderly—feel lonelier when they are surrounded by more people, according to researchers who analyzed health data on more than 400,000 people in 22 cities. They found that for every 1,000 housing units within a kilometer—0.62 miles—...

Suicide Spiraling, Japan Gets a 'Minister of Loneliness'

Development follows uptick in deaths, social isolation

(Newser) - Japan has appointed a minister of loneliness amidst a global pandemic and a rise in suicide. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga tapped minister Tetsushi Sakamoto, who is also in charge of combating a declining birth rate and reviving regional economies, for the new post at a Feb. 12 press conference, reports...

Who's the Loneliest at the Office? The Youngest Workers

Cigna survey finds Gen Zers, millennials feel the most distant from their co-workers

(Newser) - Young people aren't feeling the love at work, and it's not because they don't get along with their bosses—they just feel lonelier in the office than older people do. The Wall Street Journal reports on a "Loneliness Index" released by health insurer Cigna on Thursday...

If UK Has Its Way, No One Will Be Lonely Again

PM Theresa May announces a minister of loneliness to address this public health issue

(Newser) - There's a rampant health issue in Britain that may be worse for one's health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and PM Theresa May has just appointed a person to address it. "For far too many people, loneliness is the sad reality of modern life," May...

How Being Lonely Can Be as Bad for Your Health as Smoking

And social isolation and loneliness may carry even more mortality risk than obesity

(Newser) - Being lonely won't just make you feel sad—it may also endanger your life. In fact, researchers now say that people steeped in social isolation (including those who live by themselves) and a lack of connection with others can suffer just as much of a mortality risk as someone...

Even Subtle Loneliness Could Betray Early Onset Alzheimer's

People with high levels of amyloid were far more likely to feel lonely

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered a link between the levels of amyloid plaque in the brains of otherwise healthy seniors and feelings of loneliness, and the connection is strong enough to suggest possible screening. Reporting in the journal JAMA Psychiatry , researchers say that among the 43 women and 36 men they examined,...

Study: Loneliness, Social Isolation Are Bad for Our Hearts

They may dramatically increase risk of heart attacks and strokes

(Newser) - Sgt. Pepper better have good insurance because—if its name is accurate—his Lonely Hearts Club Band has a dramatically increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. According to a study published Monday in Heart, people who feel lonely or are socially isolated have a 29% increase in risk of...

Health Risks Predicted in 'Loneliness Epidemic'

BYU researchers say isolation affects mortality as much as obesity

(Newser) - Being a loner can ruin your health as much as obesity, say researchers. The new study out of Brigham Young University warns that loneliness and social isolation can affect longevity as severely as more common health risks, reports the Salt Lake Tribune . The effect is more pronounced among young people,...

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