We’re all more connected than ever. We click, post, comment on, and share our lives on social media. We chat with online friends about common interests. We game online, forming teams and packs, gaining allies.
All of that keeps us connected to people from all around the world.
Despite that constant interaction people are feeling lonely, sad, and isolated.
You can overcome those feelings and feel truly and deeply connected to others. You can forge fulfilling, long-lasting friendships that sustain you and enrich your life.
All of that can happen for you. And it all starts in your gut.
The Loneliness Epidemic
Americans are experiencing loneliness in epidemic proportions, especially younger adults. One study found that, overall, 30.9% of people reported feeling lonely. But that number spiked to 50.8% when they looked at 16- to 24-year-olds, members of Gen Z.[1]
According to a study done by The Cigna Group, the numbers are even more dire. That survey found 67% of Gen Z and 65% of Millennials reported feeling lonely… compared to 60% of Gen X and 44% of Baby Boomers.[2]
Many people turn to social media when they crave human connection, but research shows that actually fosters more loneliness.[3] Studies also show that time spent on the Internet, whether gaming or social media or chat rooms, also increases loneliness.[4] Extensive social media use and feelings of loneliness tend to reinforce each other: more time on social media escalates loneliness, while feeling lonely leads people to spend more time on social media.[5,6]
And that can have a bigger impact than you’d expect.
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3 Ways Loneliness Changes Your Brain
Loneliness comes with a big side effect: it physically alters your brain. It changes the brain structure, connections between brain cells, and brain chemistry. These changes can affect your emotions, your ability to form ties with other people, and even your memory and cognition. And they can also create a perfect storm for other physical problems, like increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke.[7]
There are three important ways that loneliness impacts your brain:
1. Spikes cortisol
Feeling lonely affects key hormones. It increases cortisol, the stress hormone, which can keep your body in a state of fight-or-flight, never giving you a chance to fully relax.[8] At the same time, loneliness decreases levels of feel-good hormones oxytocin and serotonin.[9,10] You need oxytocin to have positive in-person human interactions. Serotonin delivers feelings of happiness and contentment and helps you sleep well at night.
The combination of high cortisol with low oxytocin and serotonin can trigger depression and social withdrawal, compounding feelings of loneliness.
2. Increases inflammation
When loneliness changes your hormone balance, especially increasing cortisol, it sets off a cascade that leads to inflammation.
Research shows that social isolation is directly tied to systemic chronic inflammation, measured by higher inflammation markers like C-reactive protein (CRP).[11] Feelings of loneliness can set off immune system responses that produce and release defense pro-inflammatory cells, just like if you were facing an infection.[12]
3. Shrinks crucial brain regions
Human connection is critical for brain health. When people are isolated and lonely, important areas of the brain begin to lose volume.[13] These areas include:
- Your hippocampus, responsible for new memory formation, long-term memory storage, and mental flexibility.
- Your prefrontal cortex, which affects empathy and emotional regulation.
- Your amygdala, crucial for regulating emotional resiliency, detecting potential threats, and processing positive emotions.
All of these physical effects of loneliness can make it even harder to break out of social isolation. That’s why it’s so important to do everything you can to counteract them.
How Gut Bacteria Affect Your Social Life
Your brain and your gut are directly linked through the gut-brain axis. It’s an internal superhighway that lets your gut microbiome play a critical role in emotional resilience and social interaction.[14]
The gut microbiome contains trillions of bacteria. In a healthy gut, a diverse population of beneficial probiotic bacteria support emotional well-being, balanced stress and inflammatory responses, and the production and release of hormones like serotonin and oxytocin.
When your gut gets unbalanced, a condition called dysbiosis, pathogenic bacteria take over. They dominate and overwhelm probiotic bacteria and interfere with all of the benefits they’d normally produce. Plus, those pathogens also cause some havoc on their own.
Dysbiosis can darken your mood.[15] It can make it harder for your body to de-stress.[16] It disrupts communication along the gut-brain axis.[17] These factors can lead to social withdrawal, increasing feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Luckily, dysbiosis can be turned around. You can take proactive steps to bring your gut microbiome back in balance. And that’s just one way you can begin to rebuild a nourishing, comforting social life.
5 Ways to Combat Loneliness and Isolation
Modern isolation is weird. You can be connected to hundreds, even thousands, of people online and on social media but still have limited interaction in real life. That lack of in-person connection can make you feel lonely, no matter how many virtual friends you have. And that loneliness can take a true toll on your emotional and physical health.
Here are five simple things you can do to overcome that social isolation and its consequences.
1. Spend time offline.
Our phones feel like lifelines, but they can actually keep other people at a distance. Reducing smartphone screen time is a proven way to boost mental health, reduce symptoms of depression, improve sleep, and foster a sense of well-being.[18]
2. Be proactive about in-person connection.
Reach out to friends, family, and anyone you enjoy hanging out with. Make plans to meet up and spend time together in person. Social connection can help combat loneliness and make a positive impact on your physical and mental health.[19]
3. Engage in new hobbies.
Hobbies can provide a sense of purpose, a chance to make new friends, and deliver a state of “flow.” All of these can counteract loneliness and support well-being. Research shows that engaging in hobbies can reduce stress, stimulate personal growth, and encourage social connection.[20]
4. Support your nervous system to keep stress in check.
Calming your nervous system and supporting your stress response fosters emotional resilience. One unique way to help yourself stay calm is a special probiotic strain called Bifidobacterium longum 1714™ (B. longum 1714™) that can help you feel more peaceful and less stressed. B. longum 1714™ soothes stress signals, helping you fully relax.[21] Research shows that B. longum 1714™:[22,23]
- supports stress management
- eases nervous brain activity in people experiencing social stress
- increases calming theta wave activity in the brain
- helps people handle negative emotions more effectively
5. Balance your gut microbiome.
Your gut microbiome plays a big part in emotional well-being and loneliness, especially through gut-brain axis activity. Probiotic gut bacteria produce feel-good brain chemicals like serotonin.[24] They also help keep cortisol in check.[25] An unbalanced gut stuck in dysbiosis prevents you from receiving those probiotic benefits. And the best way to keep your gut microbiome in healthy balance is with spore probiotics. Spore probiotics have a protective shell that lets them survive the hazards of digestion and arrive in the gut 100% alive and ready to work, every time.
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Sources
- Shah HA, Househ M. Understanding Loneliness in Younger People: Review of the Opportunities and Challenges for Loneliness Interventions. Interact J Med Res. 2023 Nov 2;12:e45197.
- The Cigna Group. Loneliness in America 2025: A pervasive struggle requires a communal response. Published 2025. Accessed November 4, 2025. https://filecache.mediaroom.com/mr5mr_thecignagroup/183661/2025-loneliness-in-america-report-the-cigna-group.pdf
- Bonsaksen T, et al. Associations between social media use and loneliness in a cross-national population: do motives for social media use matter? Health Psychol Behav Med. 2023 Jan 1;11(1):2158089.
- Smith AP, Alheneidi H. The Internet and Loneliness. AMA J Ethics. 2023 Nov 1;25(11):E833-838.
- Wu P, Feng R, Zhang J. The relationship between loneliness and problematic social media usage in Chinese university students: a longitudinal study. BMC Psychol. 2024 Jan 4;12(1):13.
- Kitiş Y, Dağci B, Köse N, Geniş Ç. The use of social media among high school students and its relationship with the perception of loneliness: A pilot study. J Child Adolesc Psychiatr Nurs. 2022 Nov;35(4):341-348.
- Xia N, Li H. Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Cardiovascular Health. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2018 Mar 20;28(9):837-851.
- Hopf, D., Schneider, E., Aguilar-Raab, C. et al. Loneliness and diurnal cortisol levels during COVID-19 lockdown: the roles of living situation, relationship status and relationship quality. Sci Rep 12, 15076 (2022).
- Barton S, Zovko A, Müller C, Krabichler Q, Schulze J, Wagner S, Grinevich V, Shamay-Tsoory S, Hurlemann R. A translational neuroscience perspective on loneliness: Narrative review focusing on social interaction, illness and oxytocin. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2024 Aug;163:105734.
- Sargin D, Oliver DK, Lambe EK. Chronic social isolation reduces 5-HT neuronal activity via upregulated SK3 calcium-activated potassium channels. Elife. 2016 Nov 22;5:e21416.
- Matthews T, et al. Social isolation, loneliness, and inflammation: A multi-cohort investigation in early and mid-adulthood. Brain Behav Immun. 2024 Jan;115:727-736.
- Pourriyahi H, Yazdanpanah N, Saghazadeh A, Rezaei N. Loneliness: An Immunometabolic Syndrome. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Nov 19;18(22):12162.
- Finley AJ, Schaefer SM. Affective Neuroscience of Loneliness: Potential Mechanisms underlying the Association between Perceived Social Isolation, Health, and Well-Being. J Psychiatr Brain Sci. 2022;7(6):e220011.
- Wang J, et al. Influence of gut microbiota on resilience and its possible mechanisms. Int J Biol Sci. 2023 May 8;19(8):2588-2598.
- Sonali S, et al. Mechanistic Insights into the Link between Gut Dysbiosis and Major Depression: An Extensive Review. Cells. 2022 Apr 16;11(8):1362.
- Warren A, Nyavor Y, Beguelin A, Frame LA. Dangers of the chronic stress response in the context of the microbiota-gut-immune-brain axis and mental health: a narrative review. Front Immunol. 2024 May 2;15:1365871.
- Zheng Y, Bonfili L, Wei T, Eleuteri AM. Understanding the Gut-Brain Axis and Its Therapeutic Implications for Neurodegenerative Disorders. Nutrients. 2023 Oct 31;15(21):4631.
- Pieh C, et al. Smartphone screen time reduction improves mental health: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Med. 2025 Feb 21;23(1):107.
- Umberson D, Montez JK. Social relationships and health: a flashpoint for health policy. J Health Soc Behav. 2010;51 Suppl(Suppl):S54-66.
- Cleary M, Le Lagadec D, Thapa DK, Kornhaber R. Exploring the Impact of Hobbies on Mental Health and Well-Being: A Scoping Review. Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2025 Aug;46(8):804-814.
- Muhammad Khir S, et al. Efficacy of Progressive Muscle Relaxation in Adults for Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: A Systematic Review. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2024 Feb 1;17:345-365.
- Wang H, Braun C, Murphy EF, Enck P. Bifidobacterium longum 1714™ Strain Modulates Brain Activity of Healthy Volunteers During Social Stress. Am J Gastroenterol. 2019 Jul;114(7):1152-1162.
- Savignac HM, Tramullas M, Kiely B, Dinan TG, Cryan JF. Bifidobacteria modulate cognitive processes in an anxious mouse strain. Behav Brain Res. 2015;287:59-72.
- Mhanna A, et al. The correlation between gut microbiota and both neurotransmitters and mental disorders: A narrative review. Medicine (Baltimore). 2024 Feb 2;103(5):e37114.
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