Is lacking social connection as risky as smoking?

I am the researcher behind the widely cited finding—

lacking social connection carries a risk similar to smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day.

But there’s far more to it!

Social connection is vital—not just to individual health, but the health of communities, institutions, society, and the planet.

This is my life’s work: using the most rigorous evidence to help us thrive!

Join me—because together, our impact can be far greater!

Social connection matters for your health

"We need to prioritize our social relationships

like our life depends on it, because it does."

- Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad

Where Dr. Holt-Lunstad’s work is featured

Julianne's research and writing has been featured across the globe on major media networks.

 

Dr. Holt-Lunstad’s TEDx talk

In this talk, Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad shares groundbreaking research showing that lacking social connection can be as harmful as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Drawing on data from over 300,000 people worldwide, she makes a compelling case for why individuals, businesses, and governments must treat social relationships as a health priority.

 
 

Media feature highlights:

  • The Surprising Power of Texting a Friend

    Research shows that social connection has a profound impact on our life, and it could be as simple as sending a quick text.

    Read the full article on New York Times

  • The Loneliness Curve

    New research suggests people tend to be lonelier in young adulthood and late life. But experts say it doesn’t have to be that way.

    Read the full article at New York Times.

  • More than 4,000 additional robotic pets to be given to seniors in New York to combat loneliness

    The robotic pets will be distributed by the New York State Office For Aging.

    Read the full article at ABC News

  • Loneliness Is a Public Health Emergency. Here's What Helps, According to Experts

    Read about strategies that help to decrease loneliness from Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad and other experts.

    Read on TIME.com

  • We Need to Understand the Difference Between Isolation and Loneliness

    Both can pose distinct dangers to our mental and physical health.

    Read on New York Times

  • America needs a Chief Friendship Officer

    Nearly 1 in 5 Americans have no close social connections, a double digit increase from 2013.The author of Friendship in the Age of Loneliness says it’s a crisis that needs national leadership.

    Read on Fast Company

  • Live Interview With Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO

    Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook COO) and Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a psychologist and loneliness research expert, on navigating feelings of loneliness during COVID-19.

    Watch the Interview

  • Is There Really a “Loneliness Epidemic”?

    The Freakanomics Podcast discusses the extent to which loneliness has infiltrated our society.

    Listen on Freakonomics

Social Connection & Health: Evidence

Dr. Holt-Lunstad has found strong evidence that having more and better relationships is associated with better health while fewer and poorer quality relationships is associated with poorer health. This is true regardless of gender, age, or geography; people who are more socially connected live longer. Lacking social connection significantly increases risk of heart attack, stroke and type II diabetes. Social isolation slows wound healing, increases risk of dementia and Alzheimers and even increases the rate of cellular aging.

 

Air pollution increases your risk of early death by 5%, obesity by 18%, physical inactivity (not exercising) by 22%. Loneliness increases your risk of early death by 26%. (Holt-Lunstad, 2015 & 2010)