• Being lonely has significant negative effects on a person's health and changes the brain in ways that make it harder to feel less lonely.
• A psychologist who pioneered much of the research about loneliness has developed a simple set of strategies to help people feel less lonely.

---

The term "loneliness" calls to mind the feeling of being disconnected from the world and the people around you.

But that feeling is far more common and devastating than many people realize.

Recent research has found that loneliness has such a significant effect on mortality rates that it could be considered a public health threat that's more harmful than obesity and about as bad as smoking. Being lonely can disrupt sleep, increase stress and inflammation, and weaken a person's immune system. It's also associated with cognitive decline, heart disease, and more frailty later in life.

According to a recent survey by the health insurance company Cigna, loneliness is so common in the US that most American adults are considered lonely. Younger Generation Z and millennial Americans were found to be the most lonely.

Many experts think that loneliness has become a big enough health problem that it should be considered an epidemic. Researchers have suggested that communities and workplaces take a bigger role in combatting loneliness - the UK has even appointed a minister of loneliness to work on this.

But dealing with loneliness on a large scale isn't easy. In the mean time, there are important steps that individuals who are feeling lonely can take.

Psychologist-recommended tips for feeling less lonely

John Cacioppo, who died earlier this year, founded the University of Chicago's Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience and helped pioneer the field of social psychology.

Cacioppo studied how the brains of lonely people changed in ways that could exacerbate the negative feelings associated with loneliness. He wrote about how changing your mindset - a psychological strategy called "social cognitive retraining" - can help combat loneliness or even to head it off before it becomes a problem.

To help fight off loneliness, he recommended a four-step strategy with the acronym EASE, which he further explained in a book he wrote with William Patrick, "Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection."

Here are Cacioppo's four steps for dealing with loneliness:

Researchers have found that when people are able to become more engaged in social pursuits, they report greater well-being and life satisfaction. The loneliness epidemic is a big problem, but if a person feels able to take some steps on their own to feel less lonely, these tips could help.