Loneliness kills 871,000 people annually - WHO

According to the World Health Organization, loneliness claims the lives of at least 871,000 individuals globally each year.

According to the WHO commission, loneliness affects one in six people globally and, when combined with social isolation, can result in physical illness.

Loneliness is thought to raise the risk of diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, anxiety, depression, and suicide.

According to the WHO, lonely adults have a harder time getting or retaining a job, and lonely teens are 22% more likely to receive worse grades than their peers.

Both individuals and society are affected, with healthcare systems incurring billions of dollars in expenses and job losses.

Loneliness is "a terrible, subjective sense that many of us experience when the relationships that we need do not match the relationships that we have," according to Vivek Murthy, co-chair of the panel.

Conversely, social isolation is the objective situation of having few connections or interactions.

The survey estimates that one in four teenagers and one in three older adults are socially isolated.

Illness, inadequate education, low income, social isolation, living alone, and the usage of digital devices are some of its causes.

Humans have been using body language, tone of voice, facial emotions, and silence in addition to words for millennia, according to Murthy.

When people only use social media and cell phones, they lose these channels of communication.

According to Swedish Social Minister Jakob Forssmed, the WHO cited Sweden as an example of a successful national policy against loneliness.

Sweden acknowledges that loneliness impacts society as a whole and is not just an issue that affects individuals.

In locations like stores, eateries, communities, and clubs, efforts are being made to promote social ties.

Prepaid cards that can only be used to reserve group leisure activities will soon be given to all Swedish children and teenagers.

According to Forssmed, Sweden intends to outlaw cell phones in public schools.

According to studies, this lessens cyberbullying and promotes social engagement.

Teenagers and kids sleep better and find it simpler to put their phones away when they are not using them.

Children are frequently irritated when their parents are continuously preoccupied with their phones, Forssmed continued.

However, there are advantages to digital technologies, such as the ability to make video calls that were previously unattainable.

The necessity of providing areas in life where people may interact in person without being distracted by technology was emphasized by the committee.

"It is very important to have locations and spaces in our lives where we can communicate with people in person without being distracted by technology," stated Murthy.