As loneliness reaches epidemic levels worldwide, work has become one of the main settings where connection is either strengthened or lost. In 2023, Vivek Murthy, the former surgeon general of the United States, labelled loneliness an “epidemic,” warning that its consequences rival those of other major health risks.
This concern is echoed globally. The World Health Organization now estimates that roughly one in six adults worldwide experience significant loneliness.
Work sits at the centre of this crisis. For most adults, work is the primary social environment outside of family and close friends. Drawing on a comprehensive review of more than 200 studies, my colleagues and I synthesized decades of research across the fields of management, psychology and health.
