Loneliness enters the global health agenda and gains spiritual translation

Loneliness is no longer just an intimate nuisance, but one of the greatest contemporary global challenges. A report released this year by the Commission on Social Connectedness of the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that one in six people on the planet lives in a persistent state of loneliness, with direct effects on physical and mental health and the social fabric. The condition, according to the organization, is associated with more than 871,000 deaths a year, the equivalent of 100 deaths an hour.

The WHO differentiates between loneliness, social isolation and social connection. Loneliness is the painful feeling arising from the distance between the desired bond and the one actually experienced. Social isolation is the objective lack of sufficient relationships. Social connection refers to the ways in which people relate, support each other and build a shared life. It is from the weakening of these bonds that the phenomenon described by the organization as a “silent epidemic” is structured.

For psychologist Mauro Celso Lima (photo), a member of the Brazilian Association of Spiritist Psychologists (Abrape) and the São Paulo and Osasco Medical-Spiritist Associations (AMEs), the phenomenon goes beyond the physical absence of people: “Loneliness is an emotional void, a deep discomfort. It doesn't depend on the number of links, but on meaningful links - you can be surrounded and still feel invisible.”.

Child and adolescent psychiatrist Marcus Ribeiro points out that meaningful bonds begin in childhood: “I first remember my mother and father. They are the first social mirror. The way we bond with them shapes how we will relate to society in the future.” For him, the lack of belonging is not theoretical, but biological: “The brain evolved to survive in groups. Belonging strengthens even the body. Lack of belonging generates emptiness, isolation and a drop in self-esteem.”.

Young people among the worst affected

Contrary to the common idea that loneliness is a typical problem of old age, the report shows that teenagers and young adults are among the most affected. Between 17% and 21% of young people aged 13 to 29 report feeling lonely, with even higher rates in low-income countries. The figure reaches 24% in these contexts, more than double the 11% observed in high-income nations.

According to Mauro Celso Lima, part of this situation has arisen from digital hyperconnection and the lack of real bonds: “Young people have access to infinite connections in the palm of their hands, but lack genuine encounters. They take part in countless interactions, but few offer a real sense of belonging.”.

Marcus Ribeiro (pictured) witnesses the phenomenon in his office: “They live together, they talk to dozens of people online, but they don't feel part of it. They talk a lot, but they don't belong in depth”. He describes the paradox of a generation that sends messages but is afraid to call: “There are many groups, but no place - bonds without a mirror, without trust.”.

Loneliness also hits older people hard (one in three) and more vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities, refugees, indigenous people and ethnic minorities. Socio-economic issues - income, schooling, community infrastructure - and even the excessive use of screens are factors that increase the risk, especially among younger people.

Impacts that go beyond the emotional

The data presented by the WHO is overwhelming: loneliness and social isolation increase the risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes, cognitive decline and depression. The impact reaches productivity, school performance and even longevity.

In clinical practice, geriatrician and AME-São Paulo member. Talita Junqueira (photo), confirms the effect: “Loneliness is not just a feeling; it generates chronic stress, worse sleep, a sedentary lifestyle and poorer adherence to care. The body translates a lack of bonding and meaning into illness. In the case of the elderly, what fails is not just the support network, but our ability to see the elderly - and anyone else - as someone who still has value, a mission and a story.”.

Marcus Ribeiro connects this situation to adolescence: “When bonds fail, red flags appear: isolation, discouragement, constant irritability, falling grades, disruption of routine. In young people, depression rarely appears as sadness, it appears as disconnection.”.

At the same time, social connectedness, i.e. friendships, community ties and everyday life, acts as one of the strongest protective factors for health throughout life. Communities with strong ties tend to be safer, more resilient and more collaborative.

The Spiritist view of the phenomenon

Beyond the biomedical analysis, the issue also resonates in the spiritual field. Spiritism understands the human being as an evolving Spirit, inserted in networks of bonds that cross existences. From this perspective, loneliness is not just an absence of company, but an affective and spiritual misalignment, a distancing from the other and from oneself.

Mauro Celso Lima reinforces this point: “Loneliness doesn't arise from a lack of people, but from a lack of belonging. It's when our essence doesn't find resonance in the other.” Psychiatrist Marcus Ribeiro observes that when bonds become currency, when affection depends on performance, a hole is created that is difficult to fill: “Coexistence has shrunk. Fewer squares, fewer streets, less spontaneity. And affection has become conditioned: I only deserve it if I deliver something. This becomes a prison”.

The Spiritist vision reinforces the role of coexistence, fraternity and mutual support as paths to healing. Emmanuel, in various messages, reminds us that community life is not just a social convenience, but a law of cooperation, the foundation of moral progress. If the WHO talks about “social connection”, the Spiritist Doctrine broadens the horizon to spiritual connection, which is expressed in empathy, collective responsibility and active care for others. Both discourses converge on the same conclusion: no one evolves alone.

When science and spirituality meet

The WHO report outlines a global agenda for tackling the problem, with actions ranging from public policies to strengthening community infrastructure - parks, cultural centers, libraries, living spaces. There are also recommendations for psychological interventions and social engagement initiatives. In the spiritual field, the reading is complementary: feelings such as welcome, belonging and meaning strengthen people's emotional, social and energetic health and work as symbiotic antidotes to suffering.

Marcus Ribeiro goes further: reconnection requires real experiences, not just discourse: “Young people need relationships in which they can be imperfect, without judgment. A connection that is not rushed. Shared experiences - music, sport, spirituality, volunteering - give usefulness, role, existence.”.

Possible solutions start in everyday life

The WHO itself recognizes that small attitudes have great reach: phoning a friend, being present at a conversation, greeting a neighbor, participating in a local group or doing volunteer work. The Spiritist Doctrine echoes the same principle: active kindness and loving coexistence build support networks that transcend the immediate.

For Mauro Celso Lima, the path is relational: “Healing loneliness requires presence and responsibility for others. It's a collective intimate reform”. Talita Junqueira illustrates this with the story of a patient who found meaning again when he waited for his granddaughter to arrive: “He took care of himself again, reorganized his routine and found joy again. Belonging heals before medicine”.

Marcus Ribeiro agrees with both, but warns against contemporary logic: “Screens are not the enemy, the problem is what they replace. Sometimes they're a quick fix for discomfort, but they don't fill it. They feed fragile bonds, comparisons and anxiety. Real therapy requires face-to-face contact.

The encounter between science and spirituality is not rhetorical, as it points to practical ways forward. Healthy human bonds are the pillars of integral health. In a hyperconnected and emotionally distant world, rekindling human and spiritual bonds is no longer a kindness - it becomes a public health strategy and collective moral evolution.

Three views, one convergence: bonds heal more than company

“Loneliness is a relational symptom - it reveals fragile bonds, identities without a mirror and lives without recognition” (Mauro Celso Lima).

“In old age, this wound is accentuated when society fails to see value, history and contribution” (Talita Junqueira).

“In the office, I see young people surrounded and alone, they belong to groups, but they have no place” (Marcus Ribeiro).

“Connecting heals, because it restores horizons. Belonging and meaning are therapeutic verbs” (Mauro Celso Lima).

“And when someone regains purpose - be it through faith, family or community - the body responds, care makes sense again” (Talita Junqueira).

“Belonging strengthens the body and identity. When affection becomes currency, the soul gets sick” (Marcus Ribeiro).

“The 21st century has brought us closer together virtually, but without any real encounter” (Mauro Celso Lima).

“That's why ageing well isn't an urban problem, it's a cultural mission: to recognize the elderly as active beings, capable of transformation” (Talita Junqueira).

“Screens take up the space of the bond. They work as a curative, but not as food. Recovering meaning involves real, imperfect, shared relationships. It's healing on purpose” (Marcus Ribeiro).

The global picture according to the WHO

• 1 in 6 people in the world experience persistent loneliness.
• 871,000 deaths per year are associated with loneliness - 100 per hour.
• Young people (13 to 29 years old): between 17% and 21% say they are lonely.
• Low-income countries: rate reaches 24%.
• High-income countries: 11%.
• Older people: 1 in 3 experience social isolation.
• Teenagers: 1 in 4 is socially isolated.
• Increased risk of: Stroke, heart disease, diabetes, cognitive decline, depression.
• Strong social bonds reduce mortality and protect mental health.
• The most vulnerable groups: people with disabilities, refugees, LGBTQIA+, indigenous people, ethnic minorities.
• Risk factors: low income, low schooling, living alone, poor community infrastructure, excessive use of screens.
• Additional consequences: lower school performance, difficulties in employment, lower lifetime income.

WHO proposes: public policies, psychological interventions, strengthening community spaces and the creation of a Global Index of Social Connectedness.