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It is part of our human nature to desire the cultivation of sincere moments and meaningful relationships with people around us. Most people at some time in their lives have felt lonely. Loneliness is both a common and natural emotion that people experience when they move to a new community or start a new job.
While loneliness itself is not new to the human experience, the depth and severity of it is new. In fact, research by Cigna has found that the rate of loneliness among people in America is at an all-time high. This can be dangerous as prolonged feelings of isolation and solitude can affect both our emotional and physical wellbeing.
In order to meaningfully gauge how to prevent and treat loneliness, the study decided to analyze the habits of non-lonely people. The good news is that after surveying 20,000 people, the study found several clearly defined habits that increase people’s sense of community and happiness. Check out below the five habits that we can all implement in our day-to-day lives to reduce our feelings of loneliness.
1. Meaningful Relationships
Those who spent time frequently with others in a meaningful and personal face-to-face interaction reported both lower loneliness scores and stronger health scores than those who had less frequent meetings with their peers or friends.
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2. Time Spent with Family
People who reported that they spend more time than they desire to with family were often the same people who reported that they feel that they are part of a group of friends and that they can find companionship when needed. On the other hand, those people who say they don’t spend as much time as they want to also do not feel lonely. the key is that spending time with family is an important way not to feel lonely.
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3. Balanced Work hours
The study found that people who work less than desired are more likely to be lonely than those who work slightly more than desired. Those who claim to work just the right amount are the least likely out of all the groups to report loneliness.
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4. Getting Enough Sleep
People who reported sleeping the right amount of hours scored the least on the loneliness scale, were more likely to feel they had someone to turn to and were less likely to feel as though they lack companionship as compared to those who reported sleeping too much or too little.
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5. Exercise
According to the survey, those who reported getting the proper amount of exercise were less likely to feel lonely as compared to those who felt they exercise less than desired and more than desired. Both those who felt they exercised just enough and those who felt that they exercised more than enough scored similarly in three categories: they felt part of a group of friends, have a lot in common with others, and can find companionship when they want it.
While loneliness takes a different shape and form for most of us and may sometimes feel debilitating, this incredible new research presents us with five day-to-day habits that can increase our sense of wellbeing, community, and happiness. When we make time for friends, family, sleep, exercise, and our jobs we gain meaningful moments that wrap us in support and companionship. Next time you’re feeling lonely, try to identify which of these categories you have invested the least amount of time in the past.
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