CNBC.COM
Americans are yearning for connection: 41% of U.S. adults say they feel lonely at least some of the time, according to the 2025 Social Connection in America Report.
When they feel those pangs of loneliness, many don't immediately turn to the people around them, according to the American Psychiatric Association's annual mental health poll. Fifty-four percent watch TV, movies or online videos, another 54% listen to music, 44% sleep, and 38% turn to social media.
Though mental health experts aren't surprised by these findings, here are the coping mechanisms they recommend most.
'All of those are forms of emotional regulation'
There's nothing inherently wrong with turning to media like TV, movies and music when you feel lonely — they can make you feel better.
"I think watching TV, scrolling videos, listening to music, all of those are forms of emotional regulation," says Clarindria Addison, a licensed professional counselor, adding that they numb emotional discomfort.
They're also an "antidote to pacify us and inoculate us from dealing with the uncertainty of life," says Andrew Tepper, psychotherapist and founder of Boda Therapy.
But while they're not bad forms of self-soothing, there's a limit to how much you should be indulging in them. If you're watching a couple of episodes of, say, Netflix's "Glow" in a moment of loneliness, that's fine, says Tepper.
But if you're "using these coping skills as a way to avoid dealing with your life," watching a show for an entire day and missing deadlines as a result, he says as an example, that's a problem. The point is to let yourself enjoy them for a little while, then reengage with the rest of your life.
'You have to get outside'
Even as people indulge in their favorite "Stranger Things" episodes or their favorite Donna Summer album in moderation, Addison and Tepper would recommend leaning into other coping mechanisms, too.
Addison recommends doing what she calls intentional replenishment practices, like journaling, mindful prayers or even something as elemental as coloring.
Throughout the day, "I think you have to get outside," says Tepper. "I think you have to move your body." He recommends spending a few minutes outdoors in the morning when you wake up and getting in an additional 30 minutes of movement every day, ideally outside as well.
Finally, of course, Tepper would recommend pairing any soothing mechanism with actually reaching out to people via text, phone call or even trying to see them in person.
"We've evolved to be social creatures," he says, adding that "when you're around other people interacting in real life, your brain releases feel-good neuro chemicals: serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin."
Forty-one percent of adults do say when they feel lonely, they talk to family and friends.
If you interact regularly, 'you're going to feel less lonely'
For some people, says Addison, loneliness comes from "the absence of emotional safety" when they're around others, not necessarily from isolation. In that case, try to find the people who make you feel comfortable, she says.
Sign up for activities in your community that you're interested in and see if you can meet people you really connect with.
Ultimately, when you find your people "and you get into the habit of putting in the effort to text them and call them and see them," says Tepper, "you're going to feel less lonely."
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