When we’re lonely, we not only feel terrible, but our health suffers. Loneliness has been connected with a greater risk of heart disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. In 2023 the former Surgeon General of the United States compared the health impact of loneliness to the physical impact of smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.

We spoke with Glenn Lutjens (Lutch-ens), a licensed family therapist and 29-year veteran on the Focus on the Family counseling team.