loneliness

The nationwide “loneliness epidemic” that was the subject of a recent surgeon general report can be traced to America’s rejection of God, rocker and author John Cooper says.

Author and theologian Albert Mohler says a new report by the U.S. surgeon general warning of a widespread "epidemic of loneliness" should lead society to renew its commitment to the biblical doctrines of marriage, family and church.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. (For an excellent resource, please see Dr. Lane Ogden’s “What does the Bible say about mental health” on our website.) As a result, we’ll see a plethora of information like the Surgeon General’s report in the coming days. In the midst of all the bad news, however, here’s some good news: according to the Wall Street Journal, America is seeing a “surprising surge of faith among young people.”

A recent survey found that about one-third of eighteen-to-twenty-five-year-olds say they believe in the existence of a higher power. This is more than the percentage who doubt such an existence and is up from about one-quarter in 2021. The Journal explains: “Young adults, theologians, and church leaders attribute the increase in part to the need for people to believe in something beyond themselves after three years of loss.”

Since 1938, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has followed two groups of men. One is a group of 456 boys from Boston’s most troubled families and roughest neighborhoods. The other consisted of 268 Harvard College students, chosen by a professor of hygiene specifically for their potential to become healthy, well-adjusted adults. The focus of the longitudinal study has been to discern the factors that best predict a long, healthy life.

The researchers who have followed these young men have maintained a stunning 84 percent participation rate over eight decades. They have visited homes, spoken to parents and siblings, tracked medical exams, and followed marriages and careers. The study, which is currently tracking a second generation of participants, has produced a wealth of significant data. However, in a recent article published in The Wall Street Journal, director Dr. Robert Waldinger and associate director Dr. Marc Schulz pointed to the most significant contributing factor for physical health, mental health, and longevity.

The answer to social isolation and loneliness is not simply trying harder to do better. Rather, it is yielding our lives to the One who empowers us to serve our King with courageous unity.

According to research from Harvard Graduate School of Education, 36 percent of Americans report feeling “serious loneliness,” as do an incredible 61 percent of young adults. According to a Cigna health survey, nearly 54 percent of American adults agree with the statement, “nobody knows me well.” Isolated and glued to our screens, it’s a crisis that’s only getting worse.

Harvard University reported last February that “the global pandemic has deepened an epidemic of loneliness in America.”

According to some recent studies, most Americans have fewer friends and are lonelier than at any point in our nation’s history. The effects of loneliness are catastrophic. Here is how the church can help.

According to a recent piece by Sarah Logan in The Guardian, a growing number of young people are practicing “relationship minimalism.” Inspired by home organizing coaches like Marie Kondo, these mostly urban, single adults are not only clearing their lives of excess stuff; they’re tossing out people who do not "spark joy" in their lives.

The church has the power to stop the epidemic of loneliness. Ask God to help you deepen your connections today—then seek to be the friend to others that Jesus is to you.