Work loneliness: A review of literature and intervention strategies
Connie HadleyFounder and chief scientist, Institute for Life at WorkA review of literature and intervention strategies
Everyone has experienced loneliness – perhaps briefly – perhaps for many years. This handbook explores why people of all ages can become lonely, and features steps that can be taken by individuals, communities, and entire societies to prevent and alleviate loneliness. Chapters present rigorous scientific research drawn from psychology, relationship science, neuroscience, physiology, sociology, public health, and gerontology to demystify the phenomenon of loneliness and its consequences. The volume investigates the significant risks that loneliness poses to health and the harmful physiological processes it can set in motion. It also details numerous approaches to help people overcome loneliness from multiple perspectives, including traditional and cognitive psychotherapy, online interventions, efforts to connect individuals to their communities, and designing communities as well as public health programs and policies to create a greater sense of social connection. Using accessible terminology understandable to a non-medical audience, it is an important work for social science scholars, students, policymakers, and practitioners.
About Connie Hadley
Constance (Connie) Noonan Hadley is an organizational psychologist who helps leaders tackle today's most urgent workplace challenges, including AI adoption, loneliness, burnout and psychological safety, through a data-driven approach. She is associate director of the Institute for Leadership & Work, a membership community of CHROs from major companies, and a Microsoft research collaborator.
Hadley's research makes visible what is happening inside the hearts and minds of employees so leaders can better understand and manage their teams. Her article on psychological safety, written with Amy Edmondson and Mark Mortensen, is cited for its balanced, clear advice. In a 2026 Harvard Business Review article, she and her co-author show how employees' reliance on AI for emotional support, career advice and companionship can undermine coworker relationships. "Organizations need to broaden their scope beyond productivity," she says, offering practical, immediate steps to realign AI practices.
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