Americans between ages 45 and 65 are lonelier than their European counterparts, according to a new paper published in American Psychologist. 

Researchers analyzed long-term datasets from 14 countries including England, Italy, France, and Sweden. In all places, baby boomers reported the highest levels of loneliness of any generation, but those in the United States outpaced their peers. 

In Italy, Spain, and Greece, loneliness steeply increased for both baby boomers and Gen X residents. Middle-aged adults in Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands reported the lowest levels of loneliness of all 14 countries. 

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy sounded the alarm on America's growing loneliness problem last year. He also proposed a potential solution: building stronger relationships. 

"Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health," Murthy said in a 2023 statement. "Our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding in plain sight – one that can help us live healthier, more fulfilled, and more productive lives." 

The No. 1 way to combat loneliness

If calling up a friend and asking to catch up feels uncomfortable to you, there is some encouraging news: most people like out-of-the-blue phone calls.

People consistently underestimate how much their friends want to hear from them, according to a 2022 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

An unexpected phone call or text is actually very appreciated by the receiver, and the more surprising the better.

Impromptu plans, specifically, can help you forge stronger bonds, Esther Perel, a Belgium American psychotherapist, told Ten Percent Happier host Dan Harris on recent podcast episode. 

"People may often be busy three weeks before but they're not busy the day of," she said to Harris. "It's an amazing thing how many people are going to spend the night at home."

If you don't know who to call, Perel suggested to Harris asking yourself a few questions:

• Who do you owe a phone call to?
• Who do you owe an apology to?
• Who do you want to go on a walk with?

The answer to any of these will lead you to a person you probably want to know better.

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