WHY THIS MATTERS

Quick facts

Some quick facts related to emotions, loneliness, mental illness, and suicide, with references linked.

Emotions

According to Gallup's Global Emotions report:

  • Worldwide, negative emotional experiences (in this dataset, physical pain, worry, sadness, stress, and anger) have been steadily increasing since 2014.
  • Worldwide, positive emotional experiences (being well-rested, being treated with respect, smiling or laughing a lot, learning or doing something interesting, and joy) have remained stable since 2018.
  • In the span of a year, the percentage of people who said they smiled or laughed a lot the previous day dropped from 75% to 70% in 2020 — the lowest point Gallup has ever recorded for this question.
  • 2020 was officially the most stressful year in recent history, with a record-high 40% of adults worldwide saying they experienced stress during much of the previous day. The five-percentage-point jump from 35% in 2019 represents nearly 190 million more people globally experiencing stress this often.

Loneliness

  • Several meta-analyses (see here and here) suggest that the mortality risk associated with chronic loneliness is higher than that of obesity, and equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes per day.
  • According to the CDC, chronic loneliness is associated with increased rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide.
  • In 2017, former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called loneliness a public health "epidemic".
  • The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the loneliness epidemic.
  • While loneliness has often been discussed in the context of the elderly, more recent data suggests it is younger generations (Gen Z, Millennials) reporting the highest rates.

Mental illness

According to data from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH):

  • 21% (roughly 1 in 5) U.S. adults live with a mental illness — 52.9 million in 2020.
  • Prevalence rates are higher for women (25.8%), young adults 18–25 years old (30.6%), and those reporting two or more races (35.8%).
  • Of those living with mental illness, only 46.2% (24.3 million) received mental health services in the past year.

Suicide

  • Suicidal thoughts among adults in the U.S. are highest among young adults aged 18–25 (11.8%).
  • According to the CDC, after unintentional injury, suicide is the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34.

Figures are as published in the linked sources. If you or someone you know needs support, please see the resources page.