Loneliness is more than a bad feeling, the U.S. Surgeon General has repeatedly stated.
“What we may not recognize is that when loneliness persists for a long time, it puts our body in a chronic stress state, and that has implications for our mental and physical health,” Dr. Vivek Murthy tells Fortune. Loneliness increases the risk of developing depression, anxiety, heart disease, and stroke, among other conditions. “These are all profound health consequences.”
