Health experts, psychologists and happiness researchers all agree that social connection is crucial to our wellbeing.
“Every available study of happy people suggests that happy people are more social, they spend more time physically around other people, and they invest time in their friends and family members,” Yale psychology professor Laurie Santos told CNBC Make It in 2024.
Still, about 21% of 13- to 17-year-olds and 17% of 18- to 29-year-olds experience loneliness, according to a June 2025 report from the World Health Organization.
And a study published just this month in the journal Plos One found that young people — and young women specifically — who’d gone through recent life changes like the end of a romantic relationship or a big move are among the groups who experience higher levels of loneliness.
That’s true even if they report having friends in their lives.
