According to a recent Meta-Gallup survey involving people living in 140 countries, nearly one in four people stated that they are “very or fairly lonely,” Breitbart reports.

The survey encompassed approximately 77% of the world’s population as China, the world’s second most populated country behind India, was not included in the survey.

A survey of college students conducted by Gallup earlier this year found that nearly 40% of those surveyed stated that they felt lonely and sad the day before they were surveyed.

Breitbart writes:

According to VeryWellMind, loneliness is a state of a person’s mind. It can cause one to feel empty, alone, and sometimes unwanted by others.

“People who are lonely often crave human contact, but their state of mind makes it more difficult to form connections with others,” the article said.

READ: Survey: Almost One in Four People Across the Globe Feel Lonely AND Poll: Nearly 4 in 10 College Students Report Feelings of Loneliness

The Cure for Loneliness

According to US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy loneliness has reached epidemic proportions in America and in an advisory that he released in August 2023, he listed health issues associated with loneliness:

The physical health consequences of poor or insufficient connection include a 29% increased risk of heart disease, a 32% increased risk of stroke, and a 50% increased risk of developing dementia for older adults. Additionally, lacking social connection increases risk of premature death by more than 60%. In addition to our physical health, loneliness and isolation contribute substantially to mental health challenges.

In adults, the risk of developing depression among people who report feeling lonely often is more than double that of people who rarely or never feel lonely. Loneliness and social isolation in childhood increase the risk of depression and anxiety both immediately and well into the future. And with more than one in five adults and more than one in three young adults living with a mental illness in the U.S., addressing loneliness and isolation is critical in order to fully address the mental health crisis in America.

As for the cure, Murthy stated that people needed to recognize that social media is not an alternative to real human connections.

And in an interview with Faithwire, mental health expert, Daniel Amen stated that people need to start going to church to deal with loneliness.

“So it’s back to church,” Amen said. “Go back to church. Get involved. Get involved with groups. We have to go back. And really, no better place to solve it than the church.”

READ: Top Psychiatrist Says ‘Go Back to Church’ as Loneliness Now a Major US Health Threat AND New Surgeon General Advisory Raises Alarm about the Devastating Impact of the Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation in the United States