Everywhere I hear I go I hear about how lonely and disconnected people are.

I'm bombarded with phrases like the loneliness epidemic and it creates concern for me because as a

psychologist I understand the importance of community. So today I'm going to

talk about what loneliness really is,

how it can impact your mental health,

and a few tips on how to combat it.

Welcome back to Savvy Psychologist. I'm your host Dr. Monica Johnson. Every week on this show,

I'll help you face life challenges with evidence-based approaches, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

Loneliness is understood in psychological research is a complex and multifaceted emotion.

Loneliness is typically defined. and multifaceted emotion.

Loneliness is typically defined as the distressing experience that occurs

when a person's social relationships

are perceived to be less in quantity and quality than desired.

It's important to note that loneliness is subjective.

It's about how people perceive their social connections,

not necessarily the number of friends

or social interactions they have.

One of the issues that I sometimes notice

is that people will spend more time on social media and investing in

parasocial relationships instead of putting those hours towards

developing or maintaining relationships in their real life.

Loneliness isn't always solely the fault

...