SAN FRANCISCO – A sticker on a wall in Lisbon caught Katya Gratcheva’s attention last fall: “No dating or networking. Just breakfast.” It led the married 52-year-old, tired of the transactional ...

BOZEMAN, Mont. — Social isolation is a serious health concern for older adults, bringing with it an increased risk of dementia, heart disease and stroke, according to the CDC. Nearly a quarter of ...

Editor’s note: This segment was rebroadcast on Aug. 22, 2025. Click here for that audio. The United States is in an “epidemic of loneliness,” according to the surgeon general. The internet and social ...

Loneliness has been declared an epidemic by the U.S. Surgeon General as a serious health issue. In fact, the World Health Organization appointed a new commission to address this global health threat.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy placed a spotlight on America's problem with loneliness when he declared the issue an epidemic in the spring of 2023. Studies have linked ...

Correction: A previous version of this article mischaracterized the scope of a 2023 survey of U.S. adults from the Pew Research Center as finding that urban residents globally are less likely to have ...