The UnLonely Project
Why The UnLonely Project and Why Now?
In response to the growing public health concern of social isolation and loneliness, the Foundation for Art and Healing has launched The UnLonely Project. The goal of this signature initiative is to "broaden public awareness of the negative physical and mental health consequences of loneliness associated with a wide range of living conditions and circumstances while also exploring and promoting creative arts-based approaches to reduce the burden".
A growing body of compelling evidence suggests that there is an epidemic of loneliness and social isolation in the United States with significant negative physical and mental health effects:
- Loneliness affects more than one-third of American adults, with particular likelihood among individuals facing challenging life circumstances like loss of a loved one, and chronic or catastrophic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, mental illness or cancer.
- Loneliness has negative effects on mental health, worsening depression, anxiety, mood disorders and cognitive decline, and on physical health, leading to higher rates cardiovascular impairment, chronic pain, and fatigue.
- Certain age groups, notably adolescents, young adults and older adults seem to be particularly at risk as marked by growing incidence of depression, substance abuse, and suicide.
- External factors may be accelerating the crisis; research indicates, for instance, Internet and social media engagement exacerbate feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety.
- Of particular note, health risks associated with loneliness and social isolation are comparable to the dangers of smoking and obesity, increasing mortality risk by up to 30%.
The UnLonely Project seeks to:
- Raise awareness about loneliness as a pressing health problem and promote creative expression as an innovative approach to alleviate it.
- Offer tools, resources, and programs for the reduction of loneliness through creative expression for a variety of impacted populations.
- Catalyze and conduct further research into how to most effectively and creatively reduce the burden of loneliness for millions of Americans.
Short films, streaming free
Welcome to the Second Annual UnLonely Film Festival! Over 40 short films that will inspire, enlighten, elevate, and inform you. The goal is to provide a sense of “connectedness” through creative expression between you, the filmmaker, and others viewing the films. This is a core principle of the work at The UnLonely Project.
