Recognizing the effects of loneliness
What does loneliness feel like to you?
“Loneliness is a distressing feeling when connection falls short of what is wanted,” according to Dr. Chinh Duong, behavioral health clinician for Baylor Family Medicine. During her presentation, “Loneliness, Social Connectedness, and Clinical Implications in Primary Care,” at the Department of Family and Community Medicine Grand Rounds on Sept. 8, 2026, Duong highlighted the prevalence of loneliness in today’s world and its impact on an individual’s well-being.
Loneliness is a common experience among adults in the United States, and it is more than isolation and solitude. The University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging published in 2023 found that 40% of people 50 to 64 years old lacked companionship, a measure used to gauge loneliness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System study showed loneliness was prevalent among 43% of adults 18 to 34 years old, with 29% indicating a lack of support. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, a Cigna survey released in January 2020 reported that Gen Z 18- to 22-year-olds had the highest average loneliness score.
“We like to blame the pandemic for the increasing rate of loneliness, but we also want to recognize that as a society, many people are quite vulnerable to social disconnectedness to begin with, and the pandemic served as a stress test and exposed how lonely we are,” Duong said. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory report showed the trends shaping social connectedness started long before 2020.
Social connectedness is the degree to which connection needs are met, and technology can be a double-edged sword for social support. “We can’t really discuss the modern phenomenon of loneliness without discussing the impact of technology,” Duong said. On one hand, technology helps people connect with communities of shared interests and access emotional support. However, technology decreases in-person interactions and increases exposure to polarizing content. Poor social connectedness, along with chronic feelings of loneliness, can increase the risk of heart disease, dementia, depression and anxiety.
Duong explained that loneliness is complex and influenced by many factors, including a person’s health, relationships, access to community resources, and broader social conditions. Currently, no practical, brief screening tool fully captures the multidimensional nature of loneliness in a primary care setting. She recommended asking simple questions when loneliness appears to be affecting a person’s health:
- If you became sick tomorrow, who would notice?
- Who would you call if you needed help?
- Who do you rely on when things get difficult?
- Do you feel connected to the people who matter most in your life?
By Fara Julienne Abordaje, communications associate in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, and Dr. Chinh Duong, assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine
