JOHN: IN A WORLD WHERE STAYING CONNECTED WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS PRESSING A BUTTON ON YOUR PHONE, MANY ARE FINDING THEMSELVES LONELIER THAN EVER.

AS RHODE ISLAND P.B.

'S WEEKLY REPORTS, IT IS ESPECIALLY PREVALENT AMONG YOUNG ADULTS.

>> I WAS SO NERVOUS TO GO.

>> AT 17, SHE MOVED FROM HONG KONG TO PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, TO STUDY AT BROWN UNIVERSITY.

>> 20, COVID RESTRICTIONS MEANT IF I WANTED TO GO HOME, I WOULD HAVE TO QUARANTINE FOR A FEW WEEKS BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO GO BACK AND SEE MY FAMILY.

>> LIVING FAR FROM HOME, SHE BEGAN FEELING DEPRESSED AND LONELY AND WAS HAVING TROUBLE MAKING FRIENDS.

>> I WAS IN A PLAY.

I WAS EXCITED.

IT WAS MY FIRST PLAY ON CAMPUS.

MY ROOMMATE AND A FRIEND CAME TO SEE IT.

I CAME BACK AFTER THE SHOW AND THEY DID NOT TALK ABOUT IT AT ALL AND THEN THE TWO OF THEM WENT TO SOME PARTY OR AFTER PARTY AND LEFT ME IN THE DORM ALONE.

I WAS SITTING THERE IN MY ROOM ALONE, FOLDING LAUNDRY.

>> BY THE TIME SHE RETURNED TO HONG KONG AT THE END OF HER FRESHMAN YEAR, HER DEPRESSION HAD BECOME OVERWHELMING.

>> I REMEMBERED NOT BEING ABLE TO GET OUT OF BED.

MY MOM WAS LIKE, DO YOU THINK YOU CAN GO BACK.

>> STORIES LIKE THAT ARE TOO FAMILIAR.

>> WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF LONELINESS, THEY OFTEN THINK OF SENIOR CITIZENS.

IN OUR DAY, THE PEOPLE WITH THE HIGHEST RATES OF LONELINESS ARE IN THEIR 20'S AND 30'S.

>> HE CONDUCTED A NATIONAL SURVEY ON LONELINESS DURING THE PANDEMIC AND FOUND ONE IN THREE AMERICANS FELT MEASURABLE LEVELS OF LONELINESS.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS, THE NUMBERS WERE EVEN HIGHER.

ABOUT 60% FELT THAT WAY.

THOSE STATISTICS HAVE IMPROVED SINCE THAT TIME BUT REMAIN A WORRY.

WHAT PARTICULAR CHALLENGES DO YOUNG ADULTS FACE THAT YOU FEEL CONTRIBUTES TO THIS HIGH RATE OF LONELINESS?

>> PEOPLE DO NOT FEEL A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AT WORK.

THEY DO NOT FEEL IDENTITY OR PURPOSE IN WORK THAT THEY DID.

THERE IS MUCH LESS PARTICIPATION IN RELIGION AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE.

RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES ARE PLACES WHERE YOU ARE ASKED TO THINK ABOUT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR PEOPLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY.

THEY ARE LESS LIKELY TO REACH OUT TO PEOPLE WHO ARE LONELY OR CREATE THE KIND OF COMMUNITIES WHERE PEOPLE FEEL A SENSE OF BELONGING.

>> IN 2023, THE SURGEON GENERAL WARNED THERE WAS AN EPIDEMIC OF LONELINESS.

>> SOCIAL DISCONNECTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED RISK OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND SUICIDE, BUT ALSO HEART DISEASE DIMENSION, AND DEATH.

>> IT IS JUST AS DANGEROUS AS SMOKING A PACK OF CIGARETTES A DAY.

ONE OF THE TRICKIEST THINGS ABOUT LONELINESS IS THE LONELIER YOU ARE, THE MORE NEGATIVELY YOU SEE SOCIAL SITUATIONS.

IN THEREFORE, THE LESS LIKELY YOU ARE TO PUT YOURSELF IN SOCIAL SITUATIONS.

>> SHE SAW FIRSTHAND HOW DAMAGING THE MINDSET CAN BE.

FOR TWO YEARS, SHE VOLUNTEERED AT A SUICIDE HOTLINE IN BOSTON WHERE SHE BEGAN TO NOTICE A PATTERN AMONG THE PEOPLE WHO CALLED IN.

>> NO MATTER WHO I WAS TALKING TO, THEY GENERALLY HAD SOMEONE WHO CARED ABOUT THEM IN THEIR LIFE.

WHEN I ASKED IF THEY HAD TALKED ABOUT HOW THEY WERE FEELING TO THAT PERSON, ALMOST ACROSS THE BOARD, THEY WOULD SAY WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT OR I DO NOT WANT TO BE A BURDEN.

IT SEEMED LIKE THE DETERMINING FACTOR OF WHETHER YOU WERE LONELY OR NOT WAS WHETHER YOU FELT COMFORTABLE OPENING UP TO THOSE PEOPLE.

I STARTED ASKING, IF THE ROLES WERE REVERSED, WOULD YOU WANT THEM TO TELL YOU ABOUT IT?

THE ANSWER WITHOUT EXCEPTION WAS OF COURSE I WOULD WANT THEM TO TELL ME ABOUT IT.

I REALIZED THERE IS THIS WEIRD GAP BETWEEN HOW VULNERABLE PEOPLE WERE COMFORTABLE BEING AND HOW COMFORTABLE PEOPLE WANTED OTHERS TO BE WITH THEM.

>> GAVE THEM AN IDEA.

SHE CREATED AN EVENT SHE CALLED "GET THE SMALL TALK" WHERE PEOPLE COULD GET TOGETHER -- "SKIP THE SMALL TALK" WHERE PEOPLE COULD GET TOGETHER AND TALK.

>> IT LASTED OVER SEVEN HOURS BECAUSE PEOPLE WOULD NOT STOP TALKING.

>> IT HAS SPREAD TO MORE THAN 20 CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

>> YOU HAVE ABOUT 30 SECONDS LEFT.

>> I REMEMBER ONE THING PEOPLE EXPRESSED AT THE EVENT, I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT WANTED TO TALK ABOUT BEING MORE VULNERABLE.

PEOPLE WERE SURPRISED OTHER PEOPLE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IT, TOO.

>> TALKING ABOUT WAS ALSO IMPORTANT FOR THIS BROWN STUDENT.

SHE WORKED WITH A THERAPIST, TOOK MEDICATION FOR DEPRESSION, AND OPENED UP TO A FRIEND.

>> I TOLD HER I DO NOT KNOW HOW I AM FEELING, I AM FEELING REALLY NERVOUS.

I TOLD HER ALL THE REASONS WHY.

SHE WAS LIKE WE CAN CREATE A ROUTINE TO GATHER.

>> EACH MORNING, SHE AND HER FRIENDS WOULD EAT BREAKFAST AND WALK TO CLASS TOGETHER.

EACH EVENING, THEY CAME TOGETHER TO DO HOMEWORK.

SHE ALSO GOT INVOLVED WITH A MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY GROUP CALLED ACTIVE MINDS.

>> THE FIRST DAY WE JOIN, THEY WERE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO DO GRAPHIC DESIGN.

I SAID I WOULD DO IT.

>> THE GROUP HAS A TRADITION OF MAKING FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS.

EACH BEAD REPRESENTS A POSITIVE QUALITY THE GIVER SEES IN THE RECIPIENT.

SHE HAS KEPT HER BRACELETS FROM YEARS PAST.

>> THIS ONE IS SPECIAL BECAUSE IT IS THE FIRST I DID.

>> THEY ARE A REMINDER OF THE COMMUNITY SHE HAS FOUND.

>> NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, I CAN GO ON A WEDNESDAY EVENING AND THERE ARE PEOPLE WILLING TO LISTEN TO ME.

>> SHE IS NOW A SENIOR AND PLANS TO GRADUATE THIS SPRING WITH DEGREES IN PSYCHOLOGY AND THEATER.

FOR PBS NEWS WEEKEND, PROVIDENCE RHODE ISLAND.

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