Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on December 13, 2023. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed.

Loneliness is as harmful to a person’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The World Health Organization has even declared it a ‘global public health concern,’ echoing a warning by the top US health authority. But despite the alarm, experts say there are ways to cultivate a new culture of connection.

In this episode:

• Niobe Way (@niobe_way), New York University Professor of Developmental Psychology

Episode credits:

This episode was updated by Tamara Khandaker. The original production team was Miranda Lin, Zaina Badr, Sarí el-Khalili, and our host Natasha Del Toro, in for Malika Bilal. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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