Lonely? 3 effective coping strategies could help

Loneliness alert: A third of adults in the United States have no close personal relationships (Cigna, 2021), and the rates of loneliness are on the increase, with 49 percent of U.S. adults reporting having three or fewer friends, a percentage that’s doubled since 1990 (Cox, 2021). Why does this matter?

Depression: Research demonstrates that lonely individuals are significantly more likely to be clinically depressed (Mann et al., 2022). Loneliness is associated with self-harm (Shoib et al., 2023) and predicts suicide ideation and attempts.

Other health effects: Lonely people are more likely to experience hypertension, fatigue, and poorer quality of sleep (see Momtaz et al., 2012; Jaremka et al., 2013; Floyd et al., 2025). Further, lonely persons are 26 percent more likely to die prematurely (Galkin et al., 2022). In light of these health consequences, what coping strategies might prove effective?

Ways of coping

While conventional wisdom might suggest that social media apps can keep us connected and provide a sense of belonging, Hall (2025) found that social media use is related to trait loneliness, and while it may not cause loneliness, social media may not be a good means of coping with loneliness in the long term. So, what might help? In a study using a nationally representative sample, Ray and Rushing (2025) found three coping strategies that lonely people used and viewed as consistently effective: investing in existing relationships, being productive, and health-focused changes and behaviors.

• Investing in existing relationships: Clearly a strategy of an interpersonal nature, investing in one’s current relationships involves making more time to engage in activities with others. Ray and Rushing noted that time spent with others in person was more effective in reducing feelings of loneliness than virtual contact via social media.
• Being productive involves reengaging old hobbies or coming up with new ones (e.g., playing an instrument, knitting, crafting) or taking on various household projects. While individual activities, Ray and Rushing interpreted their value in somehow allowing lonely persons to view that time spent alone is not a bad thing, as long as their time was invested in accomplishing something.
• Healthy changes in lifestyle comprise activities like hiking, eating healthily (e.g., reducing consumption of sugar and processed foods), exercising at a gym, and curbing the use of substances, including alcohol. Lonely persons reported these changes enhancing their overall well-being, and perhaps increasing both their confidence and the number of opportunities in which to approach others and initiate social contact. Whether those opportunities are actualized or not, activities in this coping strategy serve at the very least to increase endorphins and decrease toxins in the body, helping one feel better.

These three strategies represent things that lonely people often do and widely perceive to be effective. Trying one or all of these ways of coping might make a difference for you or someone you know.