Charlotte is grappling with loneliness
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Moving to a new fast-growing city like Charlotte means trying to make new friends and find your community. The older you get, the harder that can feel, especially for caregivers, a new study from The Cigna Group shows.
Why it matters: Americans of all ages struggle with loneliness, Jeanette Bennett, an experimental health psychologist and UNC Charlotte associate professor, tells Axios.
What they're saying: Charlotte has a vibrant social culture, but new folks sometimes have a hard time making connections, Lawrence Nycum, a physician and senior medical principal for Cigna Healthcare, Carolinas at Cigna Healthcare, tells Axios.
- It's a challenge facing the roughly 157 people who move to the Charlotte region daily.
Context: Loneliness nationwide has jumped from around 46% in 2018, when Cigna began tracking loneliness, to 57% as of the 2024 study. Rising loneliness is consistent across age groups, and it's independent of where you live, Nycum says.
How it works: Cigna collected the loneliness data via a survey of more than 5,000 U.S. adults age 18 and older. The survey examined overall well-being.
- A separate survey of more than 2,500 people examined attitudes, productivity, and specific behaviors for the same age range of U.S. residents.
Catch up quick: The pandemic exacerbated stress and isolation across the globe as people avoided gathering.
- It's important to talk about loneliness because it can potentially be a lifelong issue, Bennett says.
Between the lines: Isolation and loneliness can significantly affect your health, leading to anxiety and depression. It was even deemed an epidemic by the Surgeon General in 2023.
- High levels of social isolation and loneliness can lead to a higher risk of developing chronic conditions, such as depression, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and cancer. In some cases, it can lead to an increased risk of premature death, according to the study.
- One way to address this is through social prescriptions, Nycum says. For instance, a doctor will tell their patient to go to the gym, meaning the patient will not only get exercise, but they'll also meet people and possibly go out for coffee and make new friends. The goal is to build social connections and, by association, boost one's health. Nycum says they'll be tracking the impact of social prescriptions.
- Volunteering, particularly for older adults, gives them a sense of giving back, but also connects people to their community, and it improves mental well-being, Nycum says.
What we're watching: The report does not dive into AI, and there isn't enough data around AI's impact on loneliness, Bennett says. AI cannot replace human connection. A chatbot can only provide a one-sided relationship, because it doesn't need anything from you, Bennett says.
The big picture: It can be hard to find community in a new city. There are several groups in Charlotte trying to address that. Bennett suggests cultivating and finding similar hobbies, and then looking for groups with similar interests.
- That can be anything from a run club (Charlotte has plenty of those) to a silent book club, because it can be hard getting out of your comfort zone as an introvert.