[bright music] - Ann Marie Craig: Welcome to the Museum of Wisconsin Art.

My name is Ann Marie Craig, and I am the adult programs coordinator here at the museum.

I want to take a moment to welcome you to the Museum of Wisconsin Art.

We're here located along the Milwaukee River in beautiful downtown West Bend, Wisconsin.

And here at MOA, we believe that where we live is important and we are passionate about Wisconsin.

Everything we exhibit and talk about has been created by an artist with deep connections to the state, and I would like to encourage you to take the time to explore our current exhibitions while you are here today.

Welcome also to the art and wellness program here at MOA, which has been sponsored by Network Health Insurance Company since we began it more than five years ago.

We provide programming that touches on many aspects of the connection between the arts and wellness, and I'm especially excited to introduce our June speaker to you, as the topic of her talk picks up on themes that run through not only our main exhibition of the American landscape, but also those of the teen artists whose work is presently on view in our state gallery.

Prasanta Verma Anumolu is an accomplished author, speaker, and community development and health professional focused on economic resilience, food programs, food systems, and social connection.

She researches and leads efforts to improve food access in Wisconsin, strengthen social connection, and address the loneliness epidemic, foster economic resiliency, and build healthier, more connected communities.

Her book, Beyond Ethnic Loneliness, was a finalist for the 2024 Forward's Review Book of the Year and speaks into the loneliness epidemic, the need for social connection, and bridging understanding.

Prasanta is passionate about making our communities healthier and better connected.

Please join me in welcoming Prasanta Verma Anumolu.

Thank you.

[audience applauds] - Prasanta Verma Anumolu: Thank you so much for having me.

I'm so excited to be here with you today.

My name is Prasanta, and as she mentioned, I am a speaker and author, and I work in community development with UW-Madison Extension.

I work in economic development as well as food systems, and I like to bring in a public health lens into the work that I do.

I'm excited to be here with you today to talk about a topic that I'm passionate about, which is loneliness and social connection, and how can we connect better.

Thank you to UW Badger Talks, the Wisconsin Museum of Art, and Wisconsin PBS for this presentation and for the live stream.

So, I work for Extension.

As an introduction to Extension, we exist in every county in the state of Wisconsin, and we try to extend learning beyond the classroom.

That is the extension of the Wisconsin idea, bringing learning into the community.

And that is why I am here with you today.

So, today we're gonna talk about loneliness and social connection, and I'm going to give an overview of our time together.

I'm going to talk about what is loneliness, what is social connection, and how can we connect better.

This is a roadmap of our time together.

And I will be sharing data, groups that are at risk, sharing resources, books, and documentaries and films.

And the second half of the presentation will be focused on practical aspects of what we can do to connect better with each other.

Barbara is 80 years old.

She recently lost her spouse of 55 years.

She retired a number of years ago.

She lives alone.

She can't drive anymore and has a newly diagnosed health concern.

And all of her family lived away.

Emma is 10.

She and her friends all have phones.

They have fun with TikTok and Instagram, making videos and following the latest trends.

Fast forward a few years now, and Emma is 15.

She's depressed, lacking motivation, and has anxiety.

She's lost interest in her usual activities, and her parents are very concerned.

Ravi is 32.

He just moved to a new city where he doesn't know anybody.

He's a computer programmer and works remotely.

In the evenings, he streams movies or plays games online with strangers or friends who live far away.

Jessica is 40.

She has two young children.

She's a single mom and works full time.

She also cares for her elderly father, who lives alone, but within a 15-minute drive.

Between her work, her children, and her father, she has no time for anything else.

And these are all stories of social connection and loneliness.

So, first let's define what is loneliness.

Well, I think we all have some sense of what loneliness is.

It is that feeling alone or disconnected from others, having a lack of close or meaningful relationships or a sense of belonging.

It is a subjective feeling of being isolated.

It is when the relationships that we have are lacking the depth and meaning that we would like them to have.

That's loneliness.

Social isolation is when a person does not have relationships or contact with others, little or no social support.

It is an objective state of having few social relationships or infrequent social contact with others.

So, it's different from loneliness.

A person can be in a room with 50 other people and still feel lonely.

They're not lacking in social connection, but they might be lacking in the depth of those relationships and feeling lonely.

So, how did this begin?

How did we start talking about loneliness and social isolation, and what is the loneliness epidemic?

Well, a few years ago, the then-Surgeon General, his name was Vivek Murthy.

He wanted to travel around the United States to get an idea of what was the sense of health and well-being in the country.

So, he traveled all over, and he talked to people from all walks of life.

And he found the things that you might expect that he would find.

He found chronic illness, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

And as he was talking to people, he found a common theme of questions and comments.

People were saying to him, "I don't have any friends.

"How can I meet people?

"Where do I go?

"What do I do to meet people?

I don't have anyone to talk to."

You see, he found a different kind of chronic condition affecting people all over the country, and he named it.

He said, "We're having an epidemic of loneliness."

So, how common is this epidemic of loneliness?

Well, according to the Surgeon General's report, one in three adults in the United States report feeling lonely, and one in four report a lack of social and emotional support.

That's 25% to 30% of the U.S.

population reporting loneliness or a lack of social connection.

And here's the book that he wrote.

It's called Together.

And he wrote about his experience and the report that he wrote on loneliness.

And that's the book, Together.

But, you know, loneliness isn't just in the United States.

It's also in the world.

One in six people worldwide experience loneliness, according to the World Health Organization.

It's contributing to 100 deaths per hour and 871,000 deaths per year.

And in fact, Japan and the UK have appointed Ministers of Loneliness in their countries to address the epidemic happening over there.

So, you might be asking, how is loneliness contributing to death?

Well, loneliness is also a silent killer.

Let's look at some of the health effects of loneliness.

People who are lonely are 50% more likely to die prematurely.

And poor social relationships contribute to a 29% increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, and it damages health as much as smoking 15 cigarettes per day.

More health effects.

There is a 50% increase of developing dementia because of social isolation, according to an NIH study.

And loneliness among heart failure patients leads to an increased risk of death, hospitalization, emergency room visits.

And poor social relationships are associated with a 32% increased risk of stroke.

So, now let's look at some groups that are at risk for loneliness.

And one of these groups are the older population.

So, 24% of Americans age 65 and above are socially isolated.

35% of adults age 45 and above report feeling lonely.

And 43% of adults ages 60 and above report feeling lonely.

So, a good percentage of our population is reporting loneliness or isolation above the age of 40.

And if we wanna look at the statistics of one in three and one in four, we could even imagine that it's in this room.

Now, that's not how statistics works.

But if it's not in this room, we know that it's outside of these walls, in the community, in the places that we live and work and play.

Let's look at another group that is at risk, loneliness in young adults.

One in three adults between the ages of 18 and 29 report feeling lonely, and we often tend to think that older adults are the loneliest.

But actually, in fact, the data tell us that emerging adults are in fact the loneliest generation.

Despite being more plugged in technologically, despite having access to phones and digital connection, these are the loneliest group.

It is creating depression and mental health conditions and increases the risk of suicide by 16 times.

And researchers are connecting technology directly as a primary source of loneliness.

Because what's happening is that digital technology is replacing face-to-face communication.

Last year, The Atlantic published an article called "The Anti-social Century."

And they say that we are spending more time online.

And we are the most antisocial century ever.

Because the first half of the 20th century was social.

But in our post-industrialized society, fewer than 25% of people are in clubs and groups, sports leagues or other groups, and teens and young adults are showing the largest decrease in socializing since 2010.

In 2001, a political scientist by the name of Robert Putman published a book called Bowling Alone.

And in this book, he shared how there is a trend of folks getting together less for things such as bowling leagues or clubs.

He also noted that volunteering was down.

And at the time of the publication, his work showed how social bonds were the most powerful predictor of life satisfaction and how the loss of social capital was being felt in critical ways, and it was a strong predictor of crime rates and other measures of neighborhood quality of life and affecting our health in other ways.

And more recently, he came out with a documentary that's Join or Die.

I haven't seen it yet.

It's being showed in a few screenings around the country, but he did a re-release of his book, an updated version in 2020, and more recently, the Join or Die documentary came out from this book.

So, what are some other trends that we're seeing in regard to social disconnection and loneliness?

Well, since 2003, more adults are eating solo.

The number of adults eating alone has risen 50%.

So, one in four eating all their meals alone.

More people are living alone.

38% of adults ages 25 to 54 are living alone.

We're also seeing increasing solo travel.

Now, that's not necessarily because of social disconnection or loneliness.

Some people are choosing to do this as a way of rest and rejuvenation, but it is a trend to be aware of.

Fewer dining rooms are being built.

There have been some articles over the past few years that are showing that new construction and new construction people are choosing not to have the traditional formal dining room.

And as we can see, people are eating alone.

That's one reason.

But another reason is cost.

You know, because square footage costs more, people are making very difficult decisions about what to do with the space.

Also, space and land is a consideration.

So, we're seeing fewer dining rooms as well.

And in addition, socializing is reduced and hosting friends has reduced.

So, what are some of the types of loneliness?

And I'm gonna go through just a few.

These are not all of them.

But we talk about emotional and social loneliness, which is what we've been talking about.

But there's other kinds of loneliness.

For example, situational loneliness.

Now, this is a kind of temporary type of situation, such as if you move to a new city and you don't know anybody.

That could be a situational type of loneliness that could resolve over time as you get more connected and build community around you.

Loneliness can also be chronic or acute.

And I'll talk a little bit more about that.

So, loneliness, chronic loneliness can persist over long periods of time, or it can be for short periods of time.

And I'm also going to talk a little bit about ethnic loneliness, and that is another group that we may not necessarily be thinking about who are lonely.

So, at-risk groups.

We're gonna go into each of these in a little more detail.

The elderly, those who have visible disabilities and hidden disabilities, young adults, and, as I mentioned, racial and ethnic minorities.

That includes immigrants, refugees, multicultural, third culture kids, and adoptees.

So, we're gonna dive into each of these a little bit more.

So, older adults.

40% of older adults are lonely, and those ages 45 to 49 feel the most alone, followed by adults in their 50s.

And some of the risk factors for all the older population include being physically isolated.

And that could mean perhaps mobility issues.

It could also mean lack of transportation in your area.

Or if you live in a rural area and you are not able to drive.

Having a lack of transportation there when services are far apart.

All of these contribute to social isolation and can lead to feeling lonely.

Frailty, the hearing impaired.

I have been around older folks who have hearing loss, and I see that when you're not able to hear, you can't hear the conversation, you can't detect social cues, the tone and nuance of conversation.

And so, that leads to isolation and a lack of engaging in social ways.

Depression is also a risk factor for loneliness and the lack of use of technology.

You know, many older adults aren't able to use technology, and so much of our lives now are centered on apps on our phone or online.

You know, a lot of our services, banking and so many other things are online.

And even when you think about social events.

You know, sometimes there's a Facebook group or an Instagram group and they say, "Sign up here online."

Well, if you aren't online, you don't even know that it's happening.

So, lots of populations of our group are being left out because they are not able to join online or use technology.

So, we also are in the midst of an aging population.

Americans age 65 and older is projected to increase from 58 million to 82 million by 2050.

That's just in 30 years, we're going to see a 42% increase in Americans aged 65 and older, and the age 65 and older group is projected to arise from 17% to 23%.

That is one in four people.

One in four people of our population will be 65 and older.

And while our population is aging, you know, we're shifting from a population pyramid that was more like a traditional pyramid shape to more of a column shape.

And that's wider at the top and more narrow at the bottom.

What's happening is that our systems and our infrastructure are not keeping pace with our aging population.

We are not moving at the same pace as our population is aging in terms of infrastructure, in terms of housing, in terms of health care, and in terms of services that the aging population is going to need.

And that brings me to the next at-risk group, which are caregivers.

According to the AARP, which is a study that was done recently, 63 million Americans are caregivers, and many of these are unpaid caregivers.

59 million of those 63 million are caring for an older adult.

And some of them are caring for older adults as well as children and other family members.

What we are seeing is caregivers sometimes into this category by default, because there is nobody else, there is no other solution, elder care is expensive, and so the caregiver burden is another category of people and situation that is at risk for loneliness, because caregivers need care themselves.

And if there's a lack of caregivers, where are they gonna get the respite that they need?

So, this is a book titled Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, and it is exploring modern medicine regarding aging and end of life.

And it's an excellent book, talks about the history of nursing care and how it was actually set up to be a temporary sort of situation.

Nursing homes, that is.

Also talks about the importance of having the conversation, having conversations with our loved ones about aging, about end of care, and how we are going to be prepared for caregiving needs at the end of life.

So, that is an excellent resource.

The next category are those with disabilities, including hidden disabilities.

So, I wanted to spend a little bit of time on this.

Those who have physical mobilities have a barrier to overcome to participating in social events and gatherings.

I've also mentioned hearing disabilities as well.

That is another risk factor for loneliness and social disconnection.

Individuals with chronic illness, chronic fatigue, or chronic pain.

This is one of those hidden disabilities.

Sometimes if there's somebody that you know that may have a chronic illness and you see them out and about in the grocery store, they may look okay and may appear to be all right when you see them, but what we don't see is that may be their only outing that they have that day or that week because they are struggling with their long-term hidden condition.

I also wanted to mention mental health conditions.

Anxiety, PTSD, depression.

This can set up a cycle of lack of social connection and loneliness.

This is another at-risk group.

In addition, you might not have thought about this one, but those with multiple food allergies.

Now, interestingly, 1 in 13 children and 1 in 10 adults actually have food allergies, believe it or not.

This is something that is growing in the United States.

And I wanted to mention it because I actually had a child with multiple food allergies.

And what happens when we have social events and when we have gatherings that are centered around food, you are starting to see adults and children being left out, left out of the activities because they are not able to participate due to their allergies or other medical conditions.

And I also wanted to mention the neuroatypical or neurodivergent populations.

Now, these are umbrella terms that cover a wide variety of neuroatypical conditions.

But this is another category at risk of loneliness and disconnection.

So, as we look through this list, these are some at-risk groups of maybe groups and populations that we might not readily think of, but are among us and are growing and a significant percentage of our population.

So, another at-risk group are young adults.

And as I mentioned, young adults have twice the rate of loneliness as the elderly.

40% say they only have one or two caring friends, and 12% say they have no caring friends.

44% say they matter to other people a little bit, or not at all.

And in 2007, we saw a dramatic increase in loneliness.

And also in 2007, the iPhone was released.

In 2024, a book came out called The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, and he provided data and research of the impact of social media on young, developing brains and bodies, and research that shows how it's affecting their mental, physical, and social health and well-being.

Basically, he says that we have moved from a play-based childhood to a phone-based childhood.

And he calls this the great rewiring, the great rewiring of our children's brains.

So, it's leading to sleep deprivation, social deprivation, attention fragmentation, and addiction.

Because social media platforms are designed to be addictive and reinforce compulsive behavior, just like when you hit the like button and the reshares and reposts and the comments all provide a hit of dopamine in your brain, and that is reinforcing that compulsive behavior.

So, people are starting to take notice of this.

And actually, the country of Australia has banned the use of social media for children under the age of 16.

And even in the U.S., schools are starting to pay attention.

They're starting to ban phones being used in the classroom, and they're actually seeing a lot of benefits.

They're seeing increased attention span, fewer behavior problems, and children that are happier and actually interacting with each other.

So, another group that is at risk are immigrants and ethnic and racial minorities, refugees, multicultural, third cultural kids, and adoptees.

These report higher rates of loneliness than the white population and could be for reasons like discrimination, racism, or xenophobia.

And some of the themes that appear in this population are feeling a sense of cultural isolation, feeling like a perpetual foreigner.

You know, for those even who have been here for multiple generations, but because maybe they look a little different or have a different, maybe a different language background or cultural background may still feel like a foreigner.

It's a liminal space.

It's an in-between space, you know, as we think about what does home mean?

And I can talk from my experience as someone who has grown up in the United States all of my life, but with roots in India, you know, thinking about, you know, what is my home?

This is my home.

But yet, I also honor and respect my background and cultural heritage.

So, what does that mean for me, and how do I define home?

And so, as I was walking through the museum and looking at, you know, the Wisconsin landscape and looking at what teens have, the art that they have provided about social connection, it struck me, you know, what does home mean and that concept of home?

That is something that I think many groups wrestle with.

Identity negotiation is what I just talked about.

You know, what is my identity?

What is the identity of each of us?

I think we hold multiple identities.

Dealing with stereotypes.

And once again, the stereotypes.

I can use myself as an example, Asian Americans.

One example would be, well, some people might say Asian Americans are all good at math, or they're all good at chess.

Well, that's not actually true because I like to write.

I don't like to do math.

So, you know, an example would be for American culture, all Americans love hot dogs and baseball.

Well, that's not true.

Not everybody loves hot dogs and baseball, right?

So, we wouldn't apply those stereotypes to other cultural groups as well.

So, there's a sense of belonging uncertainty.

You know, sometimes this population feels like they belong, and sometimes they feel like they don't.

And that sense of disbelonging lends itself to a feeling of loneliness.

And sometimes this group feels invisible and sometimes they feel hypervisible.

You know, sometimes they don't see themselves represented, and sometimes they feel they're hypervisible.

And that hypervisible could be positive or negative, a positive light, or it could be in a negative light.

If there's something that happens and there's a story being widely distributed in the media, then sometimes those stories become more visible.

And so, that is the book that I wrote called Beyond Ethnic Loneliness, where I dive into some of these issues regarding the racial and ethnic populations and looking at social and cultural impacts of social disconnection and belonging.

And I wanted to mention this other book too, See No Stranger by Valarie Kaur, who's a civil rights activist and a filmmaker.

And she also teaches that See No Stranger is to look at anyone and to say these words: "You are a part of me I do not yet know.

You are a part of me I do not yet know."

And I actually quote that in my book as well.

So, let's look at globally.

This was a study that was done in 2017 that involved 100 countries, 271,000 people, and they found a link between close relationships and health and well-being.

In other words, more friends led to someone being healthier and happier.

And friendship is crucial in older age.

Now, this might seem intuitive, but it was actually, this was a research study that was done across many different countries and cultures around the world, and many people.

So, we know that it was significant and relevant.

So, what that tells us is that we are built for connection.

And I'm gonna talk a little bit more about that.

So, loneliness isn't necessarily, as we've learned, about the absence of people.

It is about the absence of belonging or resonance.

You can be surrounded but still feel stranded.

And that's what loneliness is.

I wanted to mention social media because I did mention this just a minute ago.

So, social media is associated with negative well-being, and face-to-face interaction is associated with positive well-being.

And I also have to mention that there is a new stranger in the room, and that is called AI.

Now, AI companionship, maybe you've heard about this.

This is a growing trend.

This is a growing concerning activity, especially among young people.

But people of all ages, even the elderly.

Actually, in the last month, there was an article, I think it might have been in the New York Times, one of the major newspapers actually provided a dialogue of a person and an AI chatbot, and it had led to a very drastic ending for this individual.

So, this is something of concern because these AI chat bots, they are algorithms that learn how to communicate with you.

They may sound real, but they're not.

They are not real.

And what happens is vulnerable people get attached and assign a sort of realness to them that leads to some very drastic consequences.

But now, there's some hope here on the horizon, and I wanted to share that there was a lawsuit that was filed by a Kentucky school district against Meta.

And what they said was that the companies are creating addictive technologies, and it resulted in significant cost for mental health counseling for the schools.

And just a day or two ago, Meta agreed to settle out of court for $27 million.

And this is one of many lawsuits that is actually occurring against some of the big social media companies, because people are starting to take note and realizing that these technologies are designed and created for addictive behavior, and it's having a very negative effects on some of our vulnerable populations.

This was a new PBS documentary that I actually just came across a few days ago called Wired for Connection.

And it's another resource to watch that talks about social connection and the loneliness epidemic.

So, what is the gift of loneliness?

Well, I think when we feel lonely, I think it is a wake-up call, the same way that pain can be a wake-up call that something might be amiss.

So, loneliness awakens us to our need for each other.

And the need for human connection will always be with us.

You know, no matter how sophisticated a robot might get or an AI chatbot might get, it is not a substitute for actual human-to-human interaction, because there are certain physiological and neurological things happening in our brains physiologically when we are with other people, such as mirroring and other cognitive changes that are happening that do not happen with robots or other screens or other kinds of technology.

So, loneliness is a solitary feeling with a solution that requires community.

All right, so now for the second half, we're gonna get into some how-tos.

How can we better connect with each other?

And I'm going to give some ideas here.

How can we be seen, how can we be known, and how can we see and know others?

So, I have 10 ways to combat loneliness.

And these are things that we can do at an individual level.

And number one here is limit social media use, limit social media use.

I think that is true for all ages to think about what is a healthy use of social media, and think also about AI and our use of AI.

And what is our philosophy going to be about using AI in our own lives.

Number two is volunteer.

And studies have shown that doing something for someone else actually boosts our mood.

It helps us get connected to the community at large.

And it takes the focus off of ourselves.

Number three is cultivating in-person connections.

And that means be present, showing up where people are.

Join a club or group activity.

It could be number two, volunteering.

But if you want to join a club or activity, pick something that you want to do.

Pick something that you enjoy.

And in that space, you will meet other people who also enjoy that activity.

And that's a great way to start making connections.

Now, sometimes people ask, well, who should take the initiative in a conversation?

And I say, well, what I like to say is, well, if you put your shoes on this morning and if you put your pants on this morning, if you could dress yourself, then it's on you.

So, it's on me, it's on you, it's on us.

You know, it is on us to take the initiative because we can't just wait for someone to knock on our door, right?

We need to take the step and make sure that it's gonna happen.

Number four is get active.

So, research has shown that movement actually improves mood and that that could even be done in a group class, but individually too.

It actually makes us feel better when we are getting active and moving.

Number five is practicing gratitude.

Now, research has shown that keeping a gratitude list or keeping a gratitude journal helps us and makes us aware of all the things that we have to be thankful for.

It lifts depression and it is a mood booster, and it is actually something that can help move us out of our feeling of social disconnection.

Nurturing something like a pet or a plant has also been shown to improve feelings of loneliness.

Now, I put this here, practicing healthy solitude, now, in a way of talking about loneliness.

But it is important because we do need time and space to recharge, to take a break from the barrage of noise and information constantly coming at us.

And research actually shows that things like meditation or nature walks or creative pursuits, yoga, similar activities that help to reset our minds and our bodies, and then to be ready for social activity.

So, practicing healthy solitude is actually an important part of being socially connected.

Now, don't discount those loose connections and low stakes interactions.

And I call them grocery store conversations.

So, these actually have been proven, studies have shown that these actually affect our sense of loneliness and social isolation.

So, this is what I do when I go to the grocery store.

And I just might have a conversation with somebody.

I'm looking at the produce, and I might say something like, you know, "The tomatoes don't look that great today," or just something.

You know, just low stakes.

That is just one example.

And this could happen in your neighborhood.

This could happen at the store when you're waiting in line.

In the Netherlands, they've actually created what are called chat checkout lanes in grocery stores.

And these chat checkout lanes are actually meant for people who want to have a conversation with somebody.

They are designed for people who don't have anybody else to talk to.

And you know that you can go into that chat checkout lane and have a discussion.

The cashiers are trained for that.

And people in the line, they know.

They're not impatient and getting ready.

They know that they're in line and waiting to have a conversation.

But what do we have here in America?

We have self-checkouts.

We have more and more self-checkouts, right?

Okay, so add social connection to your calendar.

I know for me, if I don't put it in my calendar, something else will come and take its place.

We put other things on our calendars.

We put, you know, going to the doctor, we put going to the gym or to the hair appointment or whatever.

But we need to put social connection on our calendar.

And that means being intentional about doing that in our own lives.

Number 10 is ask for help.

Get support.

If you need help or support, say yes.

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness.

It is a way of saying yes to connection.

Talk to a trusted person, talk to a mental health provider, normalize talking about it.

Because one of the things that I want to do is to destigmatize the talk about loneliness.

With one in three and one in four of us experiencing it, it's everywhere.

And so, talking about it normalizes it.

And if we wanna talk about it, we can just admit, "I'm feeling lonely and I want to talk to somebody."

So, those are 10 things that we can do on our own.

And something that we can do is just kind of do a social audit.

Social fitness is the ability to maintain and build quality relationships.

Social risk refers to kind of the threats that we perceive, such as risk of rejection or judgment.

But doing a social audit helps us to kind of determine where are we.

We can do an internal self-audit and kind of figure out where are we in terms of the continuum of social connection, and is there anything we need to change.

The Surgeon General has a few tips for social connection.

It's called the 5-for-5 Challenge.

It is also, it's available online.

The irony is I have to share that it's available online.

And then, this other book called The Art and Science of Connection, written by a social scientist, this is another challenge that you can try.

It's called the 5:3:1 Challenge.

If you are looking for some frameworks of how can I add this, these are a couple of ideas.

So, we've talked a little bit about what we can do as individuals.

And I want to shift a little bit to our systems and infrastructure.

So, there are things that happen at a broader level, at a community level and a systems level that can promote social connection.

And these are just a few.

I'm just gonna hit on five of these, but there's many, many more.

Social prescribing, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, urban planning and urban design, the social connection community toolkit, and we're gonna talk about social capital.

All right, so the first thing I'm gonna talk about is social prescribing.

Now, I'm gonna give an example of arts.

But basically, social prescribing is, what if your doctor could prescribe to you an art class, a trip to the museum, like the Museum of Wisconsin Art, or tickets to a park or garden to help improve your health?

So, this may sound unconventional, but this actually started in the UK decades ago.

So, doctors prescribing social connection, but also the arts as a way of improving mental health.

So, it is common, more common in other countries, starting to pick up steam here.

And there was actually a project in New Jersey called ArtsRX.

It was covered by insurance.

And so, doctors there were able to prescribe arts that were available in the community in New Jersey for people who were in the program.

Now, I wanted to mention the UCLA Loneliness Scale.

And there are three questions on this.

This is a scale that was researched and developed, research-backed scale.

And there's three questions.

Now, these are being used, and clinicians are using them, doctors, nurses, and other health care providers.

So, you may have seen these in various places.

And there's three questions.

How often do you feel that you lack companionship?

How often do you feel left out?

How often do you feel isolated from others?

And then that's the scoring.

If you have, you know, nine points, that's the highest.

And that's that's a sign that you might be feeling lonely.

Now, this is a scale that can be used to measure quickly the sense of loneliness that we can implement at a structural level, say, at health care systems level.

The actual full survey is about 20 questions.

So, this little survey to avoid survey fatigue is another, is a way, an option of using this to gauge the level of social connection in a particular individual.

And I wanted to mention just briefly about urban spaces and urban design.

You know, the way that we design our spaces and communities makes a difference, right?

If you're living in a downtown area that has sidewalks and parks and there are places to gather, that is an example of urban design, where people are then invited to socialize and have community.

But if the place is not designed in such a way, then it's much harder to make that happen.

So, urban planners can think about social connection in terms of their design.

But even for people who plan events, you know, the way that we design, that we arrange our chairs and tables, for example, if you have a table, circular tables with circles, that's more conducive to conversation, say, than if people are just lined up on a wall.

So, the way that we design spaces is important.

Now, the Foundation for Social Connection, which is a nonprofit, has developed a toolkit actually as an action guide for communities to use to build socially connected communities.

This is available for free online.

It's an interactive guide, and communities have been actually using these steps to help them to learn how they can implement strategies to make their community more friendly, more prone for social connection.

So, social capital.

So, the social, the community capitals framework is actually an evaluation tool that's used to understand how communities thrive and grow.

And social capital is one of the seven community capitals that we look at to look at the health and well-being of a community.

And social capital is really the glue, the glue of the community that holds a community together.

And there's three levels of connection in these.

There's bonding, which is the close relationships with family and friends.

There's bridging, which are relationships among acquaintances.

And then there's linkages, which are relationships to people that are in leadership and power.

And so, when all of these are strong, the strong networks, they help individuals secure jobs and mentorships.

There's collective problem solving.

Communities with high social capitals can collaborate better, like on issues such for fundraising, neighborhood cleanups, or disaster recovery.

It actually improves the overall mental and physical health of a community that has high social capital.

And so, I just wanted to mention that that is one of the characteristics of a healthy community.

So, what have we learned?

What have we learned so far about the loneliness epidemic and social connection?

We have learned that we have substituted phones for people.

We have learned that though we are more connected digitally and electronically than at any other time in history, that technology is no substitute for human-to-human interaction and relationships.

And I love these quotes because I wanted to share them because I think the first one by Maya Angelou, it says, "I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself."

And to me, that speaks about loneliness, that speaks about the loneliness epidemic.

Because when we feel at home, that we feel that we belong, and we feel that we're among people that know us and we are known.

And I just love that quote.

I wanted to share this other one that she wrote, and it goes like this.

"Alone, all alone.

Nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone."

And to me, that speaks to social connection because we need each other.

We can't build a strong community all by ourselves.

We can't build social capital by ourselves.

We can't be lonely and fix loneliness all by ourselves.

Because social media and screens are not a replacement for human-to-human interaction.

The more-- We are tempted because we have the tools available to be isolated.

We can sit at home, especially for people who-- Workplace loneliness is also a thing, by the way.

But for people who work remotely, if you are working remotely, you can order your groceries online, do all your shopping online, you can pretty much never leave the house, right?

So, we can be tempted to do that, but that is not healthy for our society.

And I wanted to share this quote, too, by Mother Teresa.

And she said, "The most terrible poverty is loneliness "and the feeling of being unloved.

"We can cure physical diseases with medicine, "but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love."

Mother Teresa.

So, the solution for loneliness is each other.

It's community.

And so, I just wanted to end with that, and I wanted to say thank you to UW Badger Talks for this presentation, and the Wisconsin PBS, and the Museum of Wisconsin Art.

This is my information.

Feel free to reach out.

My email is there.

I would love to hear from you.

I want to hear your stories about social connection and the loneliness epidemic, strategies that you found, ideas that you have, and to hear about the work that you do.

'Cause I work in community engagement.

That QR code takes you to my website, so feel free, or connect with me on LinkedIn.

So, thank you so much for having me.

It's been a pleasure to be with you.

[audience applauds]