Abstract from the study Home alone: Remote work, isolation, and mental health – Science 4 Jun 2026 Vol 392, Issue 6802 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec7671
How does remote work affect isolation and mental health? We drew on five nationally representative surveys of American workers (N = 588,322) conducted from 2011 to 2024, omitting the peak pandemic years of 2020–2021. Our difference-in-differences approach compared changes in mental health among people in remotable jobs—who experienced a large and persistent rise in remote work since COVID-19—to people in nonremotable jobs, where remote work increased far less. We found that remote work increases time spent alone, worsens mental well-being across multiple measures, and increases the use of mental health services and prescriptions. These effects were concentrated among individuals living alone. We estimate that the rise of remote work explains about a third of the increase in isolation and mental distress between 2011–2019 and 2022–2024.
Highlights from the NPR article People love working from home. But does it love them back? A new study says no – https://www.npr.org/2026/06/08/nx-s1-5848125/remote-work-mental-health-isolation
- Workers in remotable jobs had experienced a 58% rise in hours spent alone compared to people in non-remotable jobs
- These workers also saw a 72% rise in chances of spending their whole day with no human contact.
- Remote workers aren’t making up for that lost social connection by socializing after work.
- People in remote jobs also saw a rise in symptoms of emotional distress, evaluated with a standardized questionnaire about symptoms of anxiety and depression.
- They also had more visits to mental health care providers and used more prescription psychiatric meds.
- Remote workers who live alone saw the largest increase (83%) in chances of spending their days with no social contact.
I really need to get out of the house more.
lifeunderwriter.net 
I love the quietude