Loneliness in the Library

I follow a number of urban and public policy sources in my newsfeed and there’s been a bit of crackle lately regarding new studies on the real costs of loneliness. With a confluence of factors coming together, including the release of DSM-V, the retirement of 10,000 Baby Boomers every day, and the initiation of the Affordable Care Act, policy wonks are examining the problem to see if loneliness should be regarded as a matter of public policy.

Loneliness in this case is not a simple matter of being alone or living by oneself, but rather is defined as a “lack of connectedness” or “not feeling close to people.” It’s a result of a number of factors that force undesired isolation on an individual. These can be anything from a difficult childhood, physical appearance, a breakdown in one’s social network, or a host of other reasons.

How many people does loneliness affect? An astounding number. Studies by Britain’s National Health Service and the American Association of Retired Persons revealed that as many as 30% of the population is lonely to some degree and in the US, 1 out of 3 adults over the age of 45 are afflicted with loneliness.

Medical researchers have determined that loneliness results in increased rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, neurological diseases, and cancer, chiefly because loneliness sends misleading hormonal signals that physically change the molecular structure of the brain, thereby throwing a number of body systems out of whack. Doctors say that makes loneliness a risk factor for death on a par with smoking.

Behind the numbers, economists and policy thinkers have discovered that the less-educated, the unemployed, and the retired are more likely to be lonely and that loneliness only deepens the problems that come from those conditions resulting in a vicious economic cycle. Demographically, more women and more African Americans, and more elderly people suffer from loneliness. One commentator pointed out that what we call “social networking” actually exacerbates the problem.

As policymakers mull over what, if anything, should be done as a matter of public policy, it occurs to me that the library is already well-positioned to help in this arena. And yet libraries are rarely seen as pieces of policy puzzles nor do we raise our hands very often with a solution. But I think libraries can do a lot to ease the loneliness problem. Obviously, we don’t know who the lonely individuals are. There’s no badge. They don’t wear special t-shirts. But we do know that many of them use our libraries.

At the very least, we can provide a friendly and inviting place that the lonely can come to every single day absolutely free of charge. We can smile and make them feel welcome and greet them by name. We can engage in light conversation about whether they liked a particular book or make a recommendation.

Sound familiar? Yes, these things are already our service principles! I’m not advocating any grand new initiatives. I’m simply recommending that we as library staff recognize loneliness as a social problem. Public service staff is well-positioned to affect the lives of the lonely every day. Programmers can consider long term or multi-session events like book discussion groups, Wii bowling leagues or classes which feature lots of human interaction. Think about what you can do in your daily work to improve the lives of the lonely.