Project unlonely Healing our crisis of disconnection

This book is titled after the signature initiative of the Foundation for Art and Healing, established by Nobel in 2016. Its intent was to further discussions and research about loneliness, which was rapidly becoming a national interest, and to provide solutions. When COVID shut down the activities in 2020, Nobel pressed on with research, realizing that loneliness was on its way to becoming the public-health crisis that it is now. Since society began to open up again, the project has expanded exponentially. In this book, the author, a rare combination of primary care physician, public health practitioner, poet and Harvard faculty member, describes loneliness as an inevitable human condition. The book breaks it down into three types (psychological, societal, and existential or spiritual), lists the major circumstances that cause loneliness, and proposes well-researched activities and programs that have proven to be successful in alleviating loneliness. VERDICT This is one of the best, if not the best, and most thorough, useful, practical and easy-to-understand treatments of loneliness available to read. An essential purchase that will inspire general audiences.--Steve Dixon

An exploration of creative expression as a powerful response to the epidemic of loneliness. Loneliness underpins a whole range of personal and social ills, writes Nobel, a physician and public health practitioner who has been working on the issue for many years. The lockdowns and distancing of the Covid-19 era crystalized the problem, but it had begun well before 2020 and continues to build even as the pandemic recedes. Loneliness, defined as a subjective gap between the level of human connection one has and the level they feel they need, has profound effects on mental and physical health. "Loneliness won't just make you miserable," writes the author. "It can kill you." It is often at the heart of suicides, substance abuse, and mass shootings. Nobel digs into the root causes, exploring community breakdown stemming from economic dislocation. The rise of social media, which can give the illusion of connection while driving people into isolation, is also a major factor--although used the right way, it can be a powerful tool for positive interaction. Nobel, who directs an organization called Project UnLonely, suggests a range of remedies, many of them centered around making art, often in a group setting. Creative expression can provide a path to connection and a sense of hope for the future. The quality of the art, whether painting or poetry, is not important; what matters is the sense of communication and sharing with others. "I can't say for certain that replacing time spent online with time spent in creative "time wasting" will make you less anxious and more connected," writes the author. "But I do know that ten minutes writing a haiku is likely to be time better spent then ten minutes doom scrolling your Instagram feed." The author provides useful answers and a path forward for many people who need one. Drawing on extensive experience and illustrative examples, Nobel offers practical remedies to a fundamental social problem. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.