![1 in 5 people feels lonely, survey finds. But there is hope to combat it, a psychiatrist says.](https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/07/10/03d5a2a8-48c8-449d-aaa0-0cb61176e48f/thumbnail/1200x630/cb619727fe1e42d7737b368a979d135c/gettyimages-157282180.jpg?v=2287029998c5246c93d6dd038eb30603)
1 in 5 people feels lonely, survey finds. But there is hope to combat it, a psychiatrist says.
CBSN
Despite the world's overall emotional health taking a positive turn in 2023, a recent survey shows loneliness affects more than 1 in 5 people worldwide — which can lead to serious health concerns.
According to the Gallup survey out Wednesday, about 23% of people said they felt loneliness "a lot of the previous day." Those who reported feeling lonely often felt things like physical pain, worry, sadness, stress and anger.
"Loneliness is this feeling that there is a mismatch between the quality of social life that we have and the one that we want," psychiatrist Dr. Sue Varma told "CBS Mornings" on Wednesday. "We can be in a room full of people and feel lonely, but it's this feeling that subjectively, people don't understand us, people are not with us."