Loneliness Is a Health Problem: What a 2025 WHO Report Says

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1. 01Loneliness Is a Health Problem

   Good evening, everyone. When I moved to a new country for work, I went weeks without a real conversation. I thought loneliness was just a feeling. Then I read a report from the World Health Organization, and I realized it's also a health issue.

   大家晚安。我因為工作搬到一個新的國家時，好幾個星期都沒和人真正聊過天。我以為孤獨只是一種感覺。後來，我讀了世界衛生組織的一份報告，才意識到它也是一個健康問題。

2. 02The Report

   In June 2025, the WHO Commission on Social Connection published a global report called "From loneliness to social connection." It brought together research from around the world.

   2025年6月，世衛組織社會聯絡委員會發布了一份全球報告，題為《從孤獨到社會聯絡》。報告彙集了世界各地的研究。

   Source: World Health Organization, Commission on Social Connection, "From loneliness to social connection" (June 2025)

3. 03How Common Is It?

   The first finding is how common loneliness is. According to the report, about one in six people around the world is affected by loneliness.

   第一個發現是孤獨有多普遍。根據報告，全世界大約每六個人中就有一個人受到孤獨的影響。

   Source: World Health Organization, news release "Social connection linked to improved health and reduced risk of early death" (June 30, 2025)

4. 04The Health Impact

   The second finding is more serious. The WHO estimates that loneliness is linked to about one hundred deaths every hour, which is more than eight hundred seventy-one thousand deaths each year.

   第二個發現更加嚴重。世衛組織估計，每小時約有一百人的死亡與孤獨有關，也就是每年超過八十七萬一千人。

   Source: World Health Organization, news release "Social connection linked to improved health and reduced risk of early death" (June 30, 2025)

5. 05Body and Mind

   Why such a big impact? The report connects social isolation and loneliness with physical problems, like heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and mental health problems, like depression and anxiety.

   為什麼影響這麼大？報告把社會隔離和孤獨與身體問題聯絡在一起，比如心臟病和2型糖尿病，還有心理健康問題，比如抑鬱和焦慮。

   Source: World Health Organization, news release "Social connection linked to improved health and reduced risk of early death" (June 30, 2025)

6. 06Lonely Is Not the Same as Alone

   It's important to be careful with words here. Being alone is not the same as being lonely. Some people enjoy time alone, while others feel lonely even with many people around them. Loneliness is about the connections we want but don't have.

   在這裡，用詞一定要謹慎。獨處並不等於孤獨。有些人喜歡一個人待著，而有些人即使身邊有很多人，也會感到孤獨。孤獨指的是我們渴望卻沒有擁有的聯絡。

7. 07Small Steps That Helped Me

   What helped me were small, regular steps. I sent one message a day to a friend or family member, joined a weekly language class, and started saying yes to invitations, even when I felt shy.

   對我有幫助的，是一些小而持續的行動。我每天給一位朋友或家人發一條訊息，參加了每週一次的語言課，還開始接受別人的邀請，即使我會感到害羞。

8. 08Conclusion

   To conclude, loneliness is common, and it affects our health, but connection can be rebuilt one small step at a time. Tonight, think of one person you haven't talked to in a while, and send them a message. Thank you.

   最後，孤獨很普遍，也會影響我們的健康，但人與人之間的聯絡可以一步一步重新建立起來。今晚，想一想有哪個人你已經很久沒聯絡了，給他發一條訊息吧。謝謝大家。