Family Affairs Ministry Report: An Overview - Five significant aspects of addressing escalating solitude
A pair of avid football enthusiasts, faithful to Norwich City Football Club, are seated beside each other in the stands. These two gents warrant the moniker 'respectable' according to the people's perspective. For a while now, the man on the right has been bombarding his neighbor with crude remarks, deafening cheers, and loudest of grumbles regarding their favorite team. The left-facing fan, however, seems withdrawn, reserved, and struggles to express his emotions.
The video comes to an end with one chair unoccupied - that of the man on the rightmost side.
Norwich City Football Club delighted their audience with this 2.5-minute clip on the World Mental Health Day. Accompanying the video, these words were shared: "You are not alone."
In industrial societies, including Germany, the feeling of loneliness is on the rise. The 'Loneliness Barometer,' an extensive research study, depicts this trajectory, with the recent data from 2021 reflecting the scene in Germany over last 30 years.
Statistically, approximately one in every eight ladies and one out of ten gents experience social exclusion. Compared to previous times, the corona pandemic worsened the situation of loneliness, preying upon those aged over 75 (22.8%) and especially younger individuals between 18 and 29 (31.8%).
To avoid misunderstandings, it's crucial to distinguish between loneliness and being on one's own, which can be a positive experience. According to "Competence Network Loneliness," loneliness is detrimental when it lingers with a persistent burden. Neuroscience reveals that it impinges on the human brain exactly the way pain does. Psychotherapist Mazda Adli, in his podcast episode of 'Wissen Weekly,' talks about this experience. Loneliness negatively impacts various aspects of life, paving the way for counteraction.
Loneliness shortens life
Loneliness goes hand in hand with both physical and emotional health instability. It serves as a factor in the incidence of mental illnesses like anxiety and depression. It despairs the sleep patterns of those affected and welcomes stress, spurring a chronic reaction from the immune system - from increased heart-circulatory disease risk to a heartbreaking trimming of one's lifespan. Breathing life into these claims, psychotherapist Philipp Lioznov comments "feeling lonely conjures up a mortality risk boost of up to 50%."
Loneliness damages the economy
The well-being of lonely individuals prolongs their stay in hospitals, subsequently adding to the health care system's financial burden. What's worse, the data hints at a steadily growing number of employees taking sick leaves because of mental health concerns. The crippling burdens of societal stress drive a higher number of early retirements.
Loneliness aggravates existing inequities
These recent findings by the Federal Family Ministry bring to light the damaging impact of loneliness upon vulnerable and isolated communities. Single parents, jobless, those carrying limited skill sets, chronically ill, and displaced persons happen to be the groups experiencing profound loneliness. The report indicates that discrimination and marginalization intensify the feelings of loneliness, prompting them to endure it alone.
The "Gender Loneliness Gap" is cited in the Loneliness Barometer given the fact that women's stature, even in pensions and salaries, remains appallingly low. They receive a paltry share of pension and have a salary gap, besides also handling the lion's share of household chores, child-rearing, and caring for elders. These circumstances are decidedly harmful to their mental being.
The so-called "national disease" of loneliness is sending shockwaves through the democratic system of Germany. Research highlights that people who feel excluded are less likely to trust the police, parliaments, or courts. The lonely are more vulnerable to believe in baseless conspiracy theories (25.1% as opposed to 16.3%). They tend to have a low affinity toward political parties and hedge against participating in democratic processes. Thus, in the truest sense, democracy demands that we prioritize the well-being of its citizens.
