Loneliness is at an all-time high: Can the office save us?

With smartphones and social apps taking over, the way we connect with each other has totally changed. We’re always “on” and somehow still feeling alone. On top of that, with more of us working remotely or in hybrid setups, loneliness is hitting record highs. There’s no getting around it: real, face-to-face connection is essential for our well-being. Period. Maybe it’s time we take a page from the past and bring back more traditional ways of connecting to fight that feeling of isolation.

All signs are pointing to 2025 as the year we head back into the office. Sure, leaving the comfort of your home and rejoining a shared workspace might feel like a hassle at first. But this shift comes with a silver lining. It’s our chance to rediscover the everyday social buzz that’s so important for our mental health and sense of belonging. Instead of dwelling on how annoying it might be to return to the office, why not focus on how it can actually make your day-to-day life richer and more connected?

Why the office still matters

We are communal creatures at heart, but in recent years, we have lost our access to and sense of community. Along the way, it’s been fairly easy to forget that our office environments once fulfilled a huge portion of our social lives. But what does it mean to be social—particularly in an effective and intentional way? It comes down to the three categories of people we tend to interact with at work.

The first is our support system, which is usually a group of less than five people in your life who want the best for you with no strings attached, and are available to you for various kinds of support when you need it. Next are the newbies, people who come into our lives, potentially driving some discomfort at first, but challenge us to communicate, grow, or be vulnerable, and may or may not evolve into different or more meaningful relationships. The last group are those with whom we have micro interactions,whether that’s a doorman, the cashier at the supermarket, a guest speaker, or a contractor. These exchanges remind us we are a part of something bigger and help reinforce—or challenge—our belief system.

These relationships and interactions are essential to our social health, and are often found when our lives push us out of the confines of our home. It just so happens that work is one of the most obvious and common modalities that can achieve that. Growth rarely happens in a comfort zone. So, while it’s easy to stay tucked away at home, over time, this can lead to a sense of stagnation and even loneliness.

Being around others, even if it feels awkward or inconvenient at first, pushes us out of our bubble and enriches our perspective. It’s in these moments of discomfort—sharing a meeting room with someone you don’t know well or attending a workplace social event—that we develop resilience and new social skills. Plus, these experiences can make the comfort of home even sweeter when the workday is done.

This doesn’t mean we have to become best friends with everyone in our department, but sharing a laugh over coffee, collaborating face-to-face, or commiserating about shared challenges can be a surprisingly effective way to combat feelings of isolation. The beauty of these interactions is their simplicity. A casual chat in the break room or a shared lunch can inject a little dopamine into the day and remind us of the humanity behind the emails and Slack messages—and of the fact that we control our attitude and perspective.

Making the office work for you

Much of the resistance to return-to-office mandates stems from a sense of obligation: “I have to do this.” But what if we reframed that mindset to: “How do I want to make this work for me?” This shift puts us back in the driver’s seat. Instead of focusing on what’s being asked of us, focus on how we can make the experience more enjoyable and beneficial. Schedule coffee meetups with coworkers, propose a team lunch, or even turn commuting time into a chance to listen to a favorite podcast or audiobook. Viewing the office as an opportunity rather than a chore can transform the entire experience.

Let’s put it into practice. How do we tangibly embrace work-related opportunities to improve our social wellness?

First, start small. You don’t need to overhaul your social habits overnight. Begin with small gestures, like saying hello to a coworker in the hallway or complimenting someone on a job well done. These small steps build confidence over time.

Next, identify barriers. If the thought of being social at work causes anxiety, take a moment to identify what’s holding you back. Is it fear of rejection? Uncertainty about how to start a conversation? Once you’ve pinpointed the issue, you can work to address it.

Lastly, make it work for you. Tailor your interactions to what feels authentic. If large group settings feel overwhelming, focus on one-on-one connections. Set up a coffee date or invite a colleague to lunch. Think of workplace interactions as a chance to expand your personal and professional horizons. Each connection you make could lead to new opportunities or simply make your workday more enjoyable.

The power of a ‘Good Morning’

Here’s the big takeaway that probably won’t surprise anyone—in-person social interaction is the cure to the loneliness epidemic still haunting so many. Workplaces, by nature, provide a readily available avenue to practice these behaviors and attitudes. With that in mind, it’s time to reframe return-to-office mandates as opportunities, shifting from viewing them as a burden and instead seeing them as an invitation to connect with others and rediscover the value of in-person collaboration.

Being in an office environment is a chance to open ourselves up to the benefits of traditional methods of building community, and to reclaim a sense of belonging in a world where we’ve become severely isolated from one another. While the idea may seem rudimentary—and maybe even unappealing at first—maybe when it comes to our own well-being, taking it back to the basics gives us the best shot at happiness.