Making mindful connections to heal loneliness
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EmailLoneliness impacts us in many ways throughout our lives. One way to reduce feelings of loneliness is by practicing mindfulness.
The impact of loneliness
Loneliness has been defined in many different ways throughout human history. Many of us may have our own intuitive definitions of loneliness based on personal experiences, cultural messages or lines from our favorite songs, movies and literature. The difficulty in establishing a definitive explanation of loneliness comes from its subjective nature. Put simply, if you feel lonely then you are lonely. Researchers have even suggested that there are multiple types of loneliness, including but not limited to existential, emotional, social and cultural loneliness.
Loneliness has often been described as a public health crisis because it has been estimated to be at least as harmful for your health as obesity, air pollution, physical inactivity and smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day. These findings prompted the U.S. Surgeon General to publish an official advisory titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation” in 2023.
Loneliness changes across the lifespan
When we think about who is loneliest, most people think about older adults. However, a 2025 poll commissioned by the American Psychiatric Association found that younger adults (ages 18-34) were more likely to report being lonely than older adults. Additionally, one-third of all adults experienced feelings of loneliness at least once per week in 2024. We also know that feelings of loneliness may change over time and be expressed differently depending on our age.
Data trends suggest that feelings of loneliness peak during early adulthood, decline through middle and early old age, and then gradually increase again towards the end of our lives. These trends can be explained by the general uncertainty in life and need to become independent in early adulthood, when many people begin living on their own away from home for the first time. In middle age many people settle down, find a stable career path and build a family or community of friends. Loneliness may return later in life as we start losing friends and loved ones and we may also lose our ability to live independently or do the things we enjoy.
Action steps to reduce loneliness
What can we do to reduce feelings of loneliness and increase connection? The Surgeon General’s advisory explores many ways we can advocate for increased social connection on a societal level and has some great suggestions for reconnecting with others. However, some of these solutions overlook the critical component of reconnecting with yourself. This is where mindfulness can help.
Making mindful connections
Practicing mindfulness is a way to reconnect with ourselves, others and our environment. A recent meta-analysis found that mindfulness interventions have been proven to help decrease loneliness levels.
In the introduction to the 30th Anniversary Edition of his book “Wherever You Go, There You Are,” Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn describes mindfulness as, “the awareness that arises from paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally in the service of wisdom, self-understanding, and recognizing our intrinsic interconnectedness with others and with the world, and thus, also in the service of kindness and compassion.” Keeping these principles in mind, there are many ways to practice mindfulness.
Michigan State University Extension’s Mindfulness for Better Living platform provides resources designed to deepen your understanding of mindfulness through different types of audio and video practices, as well as instructor-led programs you can enroll in. You can find practices that work best for you and begin building your own daily mindfulness routine. Starting with something as simple as one deep breath can help you begin building connections.
You can view a full recorded presentation for this topic on the Mindfulness for Better Living YouTube channel.
