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Title: Holiday Loneliness - A Public Health Crisis Unpacked by Dr. Zoe Wyatt-Potage

United States, 9th Dec 2025 - In the United States, the holidays are often sold as a season of warmth, gatherings and gratitude. Yet surveys suggest that around 55 per cent of Americans feel more lonely at this time of year, with younger adults and single people most affected. The U.S. Surgeon General has warned that about half of American adults report significant loneliness, describing social disconnection as a public health crisis.“Public conversation still treats holiday loneliness as a minor emotional issue,” says Dr Zoe Wyatt-Potage, an Australian Clinical Social Worker and researcher who works with organisations and clients globally. “The data place it firmly in the territory of health, not just mood.”A widening gap between image and realityResearchers emphasise that loneliness is not the same as simply being alone. Social isolation describes the number of people someone sees or talks to. Loneliness is the distressing feeling of disconnection, even in a room full of others. Recent reviews in medical and psychological journals highlight that both loneliness and isolation are linked with poorer mental and physical health outcomes.This burden of loneliness often falls heaviest on people facing financial strain, discrimination or intensive caregiving responsibilities. The holidays magnify this. Expectations of perfect family gatherings and generous gifts collide with rising living costs. Grief, estrangement and distance mean many people are navigating complex family stories while social media offers an endless stream of images that imply everyone else is managing something better.“For some, it is the empty chair at the table,” Dr Zoe says. “For others, it is the sense of being unknown in a crowded room.”A nervous system built for connectionFrom a neuroscience perspec...

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