Resources about social connection.

Learn from the best research, podcasts, and multimedia on the topic.

Start here

If you are interested in learning more about the topics of loneliness and social connection, this page has links to some of the best articles, videos, and podcast episodes that I have found. Read on to see some of my favorites, or jump into my unsorted database of all sources if you would like to see everything I have saved. See the Take Action page for links to more resources and tips.

There are many credible researchers currently studying loneliness. Here are some of the most likely names you will come across, why they are notable, and a link to that researcher’s personal website or a search of that person’s name.

  • John Cacioppo, one of the pioneers of social neuroscience, a field of research studying loneliness and social connection, and Stephanie Cacioppo, co-author and collaborator
  • Tracey Crouch, Member of Parliament and former first Loneliness Minister in the U.K.
  • Julianne Holt-Lunstad, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University.
  • Eric Klinenberg, professor of sociology at New York University.
  • Vivek Murthy, internal-medicine physician and former Surgeon General of the United States.
  • Kasey Killam, MPH candidate at the Harvard School of Public Health and public health advocate studying loneliness and connection.
Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World. 2020.
Klinenberg, Eric. Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life. 2019.
 
Richardson, Jillian. Unlonely Planet. New Degree Press, 2019.
 

Even more books from Jillian Richardson’s excellent list of community-building resources:

 

Buder, Emily. Voicemails for the U.K.’s Minister of Loneliness – The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/607678/disconnected/. 

Cacioppo, John T. Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection – John Cacioppo – YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYnCSd-KV78. 

John Cacioppo on How to Cope with Loneliness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvIZjGEBvI8. 

John Cacioppo: Social Isolation – YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6Jp_xt2Xo4. 

Cacioppo, John T. Harper Lecture with John T. Cacioppo: The Brain, Social Neuroscience, and Loneliness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saSMWyo_TpY. 

The Three Secrets of Resilient People | Lucy Hone | TEDxChristchurch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWH8N-BvhAw. 

All the Lonely People | Karen Dolva | TEDxArendal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-Gil9l8yIE. 

Loneliness Is Literally Killing Us | Will Wright | TEDxBirmingham. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruh6rN5UrME. 

> Also, there’s a lot of relevant videos on the YouTube channel created by the UK Ministry to End Loneliness.

 

Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy: Loneliness Is A Public Health Crisis. https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2020/03/23/vivek-murthy-loneliness.
 
 
“How Loneliness Affects Your Physical and Mental Health.” MPR News, https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/05/08/how-loneliness-affects-your-physical-and-mental-health.
 
The Lonely American Man | Hidden Brain : NPR. https://www.npr.org/2018/03/19/594719471/guys-we-have-a-problem-how-american-masculinity-creates-lonely-men.
 
Chen, Daphne. Is There Really a “Loneliness Epidemic”? (Ep. 407). https://freakonomics.com/podcast/loneliness/.
 
Bainbridge, Julia. The Lonely Hour. https://www.thelonelyhour.com

Even more podcast episodes from Julia Richardson’s excellent list of community-building resources:

 

Featured resources

Our featured resources are the best resources on loneliness, improving social connection, or building a more connected community that we have seen and loved recently. This week’s featured resources are interviews with Vivek Murthy, the former Surgeon General of the United States, and Julianne Holt-Lunstad, one of the foremost researchers on loneliness and social connection.

Interview with Vivek Murthy

Length: about 30min.

As surgeon general he became convinced that loneliness was a widespread medical problem across the world.  Note that although the interview was held at a conference on faith, the talk is secular, there’s no religion mentioned, although it is spiritual. The last fifteen minutes is more spiritual, so if you’re just looking for his discussion of loneliness, just watch the first fifteen minutes.

Interview with Julianne Holt-Lunstad

Length: 45min

Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, explains the science behind why social connectedness is so essential for our health.

The full collection

If you’re looking for even more resources, I suggest looking at Jillian Richardson’s excellent list of community-building resources. The information is a couple of years old, but it is wide-ranging in scope and mostly excellent in quality.

Over the last year I have sorted through dozens of resources on loneliness.  You can look at the unsorted full list of my resources that contains abstracts for most of the items. Note that the results on this page come right from our database of sources in progress so some new items may not be reviewed, categorized or have abstracts yet.

Add a resource

The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has made loneliness, social connection and building authentic relationships an important topic, and as such there has been an explosion of coverage by the mainstream press in many countries, including useful new videos and podcast episodes. If you know or have seen a really good exploration or discussion of any of the topics related to this site, please add them using the form below!

css.php