Resources
Learn more about social connection, loneliness, and their impact on health in these reports, toolkits, and books.
Reports 📋
The UK Government shared an in-depth literature review of current research and understanding of loneliness (2022).
The Council of State Governments released suggestions for statewide policies and interventions related to social isolation and loneliness (2021).
The Cares Family published a report on creating a more socially connected Britain through social infrastructure (2021).
Healthy Places by Design offered recommendations creating socially connected communities and addressing social isolation (2021).
The Milken Institute summarized key takeaways, insights, and resources based on their Social Isolation Impact Summit (2020).
Snapchat explored how friendships have adapted to the pandemic, based on data from 30,000 people in 16 countries (2020).
The Ad Council shared loneliness insights from mixed-methods research in multiple countries during the pandemic (2020).
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine surveyed the literature and made recommendations about loneliness for older adults (2020).
The Aspen Institute and Facebook summarized learnings from focus groups on loneliness, social connection, and technology (2020).
The Future Spaces Foundation produced a report exploring urban loneliness and ideas for reshaping the built environment to improve social cohesion (2020).
The American Society on Aging published a journal dedicated to articles about preventing social isolation and loneliness (2020).
The AARP Foundation and United Health Foundation shared research on loneliness among adults during the pandemic (2020).
The Global Wellness Institute published a white paper on human connection in a time of physical distancing (2020).
The UK Campaign to End Loneliness released a report on the psychology of loneliness and approaches to alleviate it (2020).
Cigna summarized findings from their national research on the impact of loneliness in the workplace (2020).
The Loneliness Lab shared insights from their community on how the build environment and design can influence loneliness (2020).
David Hsu wrote an introduction to the causes and consequences of social isolation for philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and policymakers (2018).
The Sacred Design Lab shared how millennials are finding community and belonging outside of religious organizations (2017).
Toolkits ðŸ§
Endling Loneliness Together Australia provided steps for community organizations to follow to evaluate the impact of their loneliness programs (2021).
Ending Loneliness Together Australia shared a guide for how community organizations can measure loneliness among their constituents (2021).
Hey Neighbour released a toolkit for property managers to build connections and community among residents (2021).
The UK Campaign to End Loneliness summarized promising approaches to tackle loneliness later in life (2020).
The University of Massachusetts Boston shared 100+ recommendations to strengthen social connection in communities (2020).
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation outlined future opportunities to address social isolation inspired by solutions from around the world (2020).
The Greater Good Science Center compiled research-based strategies to bridge interpersonal and intergroup divides (2020).
The Relationships Project shared ideas for making London (or any city) a more relationship-focused place to live (2020).
Happy City collected ideas for how housing operators of multi-unit buildings can bring people together safely during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020).
HKS Architects provided recommendations for how the built environment and physical places can facilitate social health (2020).
Sharehold suggested opportunities for employers to foster belonging while employees work remotely (2020).
Social Health Labs founder Kasley Killam curated a list of 140+ startups whose primary mission is to reduce loneliness and foster connection (2020).
The National Institutes of Health created a social wellness checklist with ways to practice positive social habits (2018).
Books 📚
This virtual bookshelf includes 30+ recommendations for books about the power of human connection to heal, strengthen, and inspire.