Our View: Each of us can make a difference in reversing alarming trend
Fill in the blank on this sentence: According to a new survey, slightly more than 3 in 5 American workers (61%) feel …
Several possible answers come quickly to mind: “overworked” or “underpaid” (or overworked and underpaid, as the saying goes) or “ready to retire” or “underappreciated.” We’re sure you thought of a few others.
All of those are easy to accept from typical workers and easy for all of us to comprehend as the conclusion to the sentence. In fact, on some days the number of workers providing those answers probably reaches much higher than 60% for men and women across many professions.
Most people get frustrated with their jobs at some point. It’s only natural.
This year, however, there’s also an unnatural and startling answer, one found by national insurance provider Cigna in what has become an annual survey. It should sound an alarm for each of us.
According to the Cigna, 61% of workers in America feel …
Lonely.
That’s right.
Lonely.
In an era when we can be (and seem to be) more connected than ever to each other, we are becoming less connected with each other.
“The trends shaping how we work — increasing use of technology, more telecommuting and the always-on work culture — are leaving Americans more stressed, less rested, spending more time on social media and less time with friends and family,” David Cordani, Cigna’s president and CEO, said in a statement last week.
Don’t confuse being alone (or living alone) with feeling lonely, although the two often do go hand in hand.
“You could be in a room of 100 people and still feel very lonely,” Emily Allen, AARP’s senior vice president of programs, told a Gannett reporter. Simply put: We are losing our connections with each other, and at an increasing rate.
Some in the medical field consider it a national health crisis coming to full bloom. The ramifications of “feeling lonely” cannot be minimized nor dismissed.
High blood pressure, increased incidences of heart disease and obesity and weaker immune systems all have been linked to Americans who are living socially isolated from others.
Marilyn Sampilo, a licensed psychologist at the Center for Behavioral Health at the Cleveland Clinic, told Gannett you can add anxiety, depression, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts to that list of increased risk factors tied to loneliness.
“We see higher rates of mortality among those who are socially isolated,” Allen said.
Equally distressing to our board is how pervasive the problem seems to be: Only about half of Americans said they engage in meaningful in-person social interactions (such as an extended conversation with a friend or spending quality time with family) on a daily basis.
Half!
Solutions are simple, and they’re right in front of us. It starts with taking our noses out of our phones. Even better, instead of using the phone to access social media, make an actual call to a friend.
Schedule a lunch. Pay someone a visit.
Just look around. Even if the survey has overstated the problem, it still means roughly half of the people we bump into each day on the job are feeling lonely.
No one should feel lonely.
If you need more support, Cigna advises, talk to a health care provider about your feelings of loneliness. It’s important for everyone to discuss how we’re feeling, both mentally and physically.
Wouldn’t it be great if next year the sentence ended this way: According to a new survey, slightly more than 3 in 5 American workers feel … like someone took the time to make them feel less lonely.
Make it a point to reach out to someone today.
