Despite what holiday movies and social media posts might lead you to believe, most Americans (55{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}) feel sad or lonely this season to at least some degree.
People of all ages experience these emotions, but Gen Zers (ages 18 to 24) are struggling this year more than any other age group.
Both men and women feel the winter blues. However, women admit to feelings of loneliness or sadness at a slightly higher rate:
Household income also appears to influence the way people experience the holidays. The majority of those earning less than $75,000 a year deal with some difficult emotions. But at $75,000 and above, a smaller percentage say they feel sad or lonely — though the number is still close to half.
Introverts (those generally more reserved) are more likely to struggle with the holiday blues than extroverts (those generally more outgoing), at 60{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a} versus 47{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}.
The inability to be around loved ones is the most common cause of holiday loneliness. Other common triggers include anxiety about the coronavirus pandemic (24{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}) and poor relationships with family (23{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}), along with the reasons outlined below.
At 42{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}, women are more likely to experience holiday-related loneliness when they can’t be around their loved ones. However, more men (25{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}) than women (15{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}) point to social media as a source of negative feelings.
LGBTQ+ Americans feel most holiday loneliness
People of all sexual orientations struggle with difficult emotions during the holidays. LGBTQ+ Americans, however, experience holiday loneliness more than those who identify as straight.
People experiencing sadness or loneliness during the 2021 holiday season
Members of the LGBTQ+ community are more likely to identify seasonal depression, grief and poor family relationships as being responsible for their loneliness. Those who are straight, meanwhile, cite not being around loved ones as a more common loneliness trigger.
“backgroundColor”:”white”,”content”:”u003C/pu003Ennu003Cpu003EDespite what holiday movies and social media posts might lead you to believe, most Americans (55{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}) feel sad or lonely this season to at least some degree.u003C/pu003Ennu003Cpu003EPeople of all ages experience these emotions, but Gen Zers (ages 18 to 24) are struggling this year more than any other age group.u003C/pu003Ennu003Cpu003Eu003Cdiv class=”ShortcodeImageResponsive–root”u003En u003Cfigure class=”ShortcodeImage–root”u003En u003Cpicture class=”ShortcodeImage–picture”u003En u003Csourcen media=”(max-width: 607.5px)”n data-srcset=”https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_1.0,f_auto,h_1600,q_auto,w_1600/v1/holiday-loneliness-generation-m_jbvex3 1x, https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_2.0,f_auto,h_1600,q_auto,w_1600/v1/holiday-loneliness-generation-m_jbvex3 2x”n/u003En u003Cimg alt=”This is a graph about loneliness by generation” class=”lazyload” data-src=”https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_1.0,f_auto,h_1600,q_auto,w_1600/v1/holiday-loneliness-generation_wxof23″ src=”https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_2.0,e_blur:1000,f_auto,h_1600,q_1,w_1600/v1/holiday-loneliness-generation_wxof23″ data-srcset=”https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_1.0,f_auto,h_1600,q_auto,w_1600/v1/holiday-loneliness-generation_wxof23 1x, https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_2.0,f_auto,h_1600,q_auto,w_1600/v1/holiday-loneliness-generation_wxof23 2x”u003En u003C/pictureu003En u003C/figureu003Enu003C/divu003Enu003C/pu003Ennu003Cpu003EBoth men and women feel the winter blues. However, women admit to feelings of loneliness or sadness at a slightly higher rate:u003C/pu003Ennu003Cpu003Eu003Cdiv class=”ShortcodeList–root “u003Enn u003Cdiv class=”ShortcodeList–content ShortcodeList–content-margin”u003En u003Cdiv class=”ShortcodeList–column”u003En u003Cul class=”ListUnordered–root ListUnordered–bullet”u003En u003Cli class=”ListUnordered–list-item”u003En Women: 57{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}n u003C/liu003En u003Cli class=”ListUnordered–list-item”u003En Men: 53{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}n u003C/liu003En u003C/ulu003En u003C/divu003En u003C/divu003Enu003C/divu003Ennu003C/pu003Ennu003Cpu003EHousehold income also appears to influence the way people experience the holidays. The majority of those earning less than $75,000 a year deal with some difficult emotions. But at $75,000 and above, a smaller percentage say they feel sad or lonely u2014 though the number is still close to half.u003C/pu003Ennu003Cpu003Eu003Cdiv class=”ShortcodeBorder–root ShortcodeBorder–with-padding”u003Eu003C/pu003Ennu003Cpu003EIntroverts (those generally more reserved) are more likely to struggle with the holiday blues than extroverts (those generally more outgoing), at 60{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a} versus 47{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}.nu003C/divu003Eu003C/pu003Ennu003Cpu003EThe inability to be around loved ones is the most common cause of holiday loneliness. Other common triggers include anxiety about the coronavirus pandemic (24{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}) and poor relationships with family (23{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}), along with the reasons outlined below.u003C/pu003Ennu003Cpu003Eu003Cdiv class=”ShortcodeImageResponsive–root”u003En u003Cfigure class=”ShortcodeImage–root”u003En u003Cpicture class=”ShortcodeImage–picture”u003En u003Csourcen media=”(max-width: 607.5px)”n data-srcset=”https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_1.0,f_auto,h_1600,q_auto,w_1600/v1/holiday-loneliness-reason-m_xxrvre 1x, https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_2.0,f_auto,h_1600,q_auto,w_1600/v1/holiday-loneliness-reason-m_xxrvre 2x”n/u003En u003Cimg alt=”This is a graph about loneliness reasons” class=”lazyload” data-src=”https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_1.0,f_auto,h_1600,q_auto,w_1600/v1/holiday-loneliness-reason_zwdbkr” src=”https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_2.0,e_blur:1000,f_auto,h_1600,q_1,w_1600/v1/holiday-loneliness-reason_zwdbkr” data-srcset=”https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_1.0,f_auto,h_1600,q_auto,w_1600/v1/holiday-loneliness-reason_zwdbkr 1x, https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_2.0,f_auto,h_1600,q_auto,w_1600/v1/holiday-loneliness-reason_zwdbkr 2x”u003En u003C/pictureu003En u003C/figureu003Enu003C/divu003Enu003C/pu003Ennu003Cpu003EAt 42{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}, women are more likely to experience holiday-related loneliness when they canu2019t be around their loved ones. However, more men (25{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}) than women (15{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}) point to social media as a source of negative feelings.u003C/pu003Ennu003Ch3u003ELGBTQ+ Americans feel most holiday lonelinessu003C/h3u003Ennu003Cpu003EPeople of all sexual orientations struggle with difficult emotions during the holidays. LGBTQ+ Americans, however, experience holiday loneliness more than those who identify as straight.u003C/pu003Ennu003Cpu003Eu003Cstrongu003EPeople experiencing sadness or loneliness during the 2021 holiday seasonu003C/strongu003Enu003Cdiv class=”ReactComponent–root”u003En u003Cdiv class=”js-react-component-rendered js-react-component-SortableTable” data-component-name=”SortableTable”u003En u003Cdiv class=”StyledRootWrapper-sc-3qeib4 jYHfZo”u003Eu003Cdiv class=”StyledTableWrapper-sc-5nmmx9 fesmOM”u003Eu003Cdiv class=”StyledTableOverflowWrapper-sc-hixhp9 gVbnK”u003Eu003Ctable class=”StyledTable-sc-ujzn9t jVpJxq”u003Eu003Cthead class=”StyledHeaderRow-sc-1m1b8dn hCELBb”u003Eu003Ctru003Eu003Cth colSpan=”1″ width=”33.33{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}” class=”StyledHeaderCell-sc-nsptsd fBchfi”u003Eu003Cdiv class=”StyledColumnHeaderWrapper-sc-12xyb2r gPTwhA”u003Eu003Cspanu003Eu003C/spanu003Eu003C/divu003Eu003C/thu003Eu003Cth colSpan=”1″ width=”33.33{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}” class=”StyledHeaderCell-sc-nsptsd fBchfi”u003Eu003Cdiv class=”StyledColumnHeaderWrapper-sc-12xyb2r glLrYA”u003Eu003Cspanu003ELGBTQ+u003C/spanu003Eu003C/divu003Eu003C/thu003Eu003Cth colSpan=”1″ width=”33.33{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}” class=”StyledHeaderCell-sc-nsptsd fBchfi”u003Eu003Cdiv class=”StyledColumnHeaderWrapper-sc-12xyb2r glLrYA”u003Eu003Cspanu003EStraightu003C/spanu003Eu003C/divu003Eu003C/thu003Eu003C/tru003Eu003C/theadu003Eu003Ctbody class=”StyledBody-sc-14y8oc0 dcdMVT”u003Eu003Ctru003Eu003Ctd colSpan=”1″ rowspan=”1″ width=”33.33{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}” class=”StyledBodyCell-sc-5cu9ee bEfFUh”u003EYesu003C/tdu003Eu003Ctd colSpan=”1″ rowspan=”1″ width=”33.33{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}” class=”StyledBodyCell-sc-5cu9ee bGuMza”u003E76{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}u003C/tdu003Eu003Ctd colSpan=”1″ rowspan=”1″ width=”33.33{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}” class=”StyledBodyCell-sc-5cu9ee bGuMza”u003E53{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}u003C/tdu003Eu003C/tru003Eu003Ctru003Eu003Ctd colSpan=”1″ rowspan=”1″ width=”33.33{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}” class=”StyledBodyCell-sc-5cu9ee bEfFUh”u003ENou003C/tdu003Eu003Ctd colSpan=”1″ rowspan=”1″ width=”33.33{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}” class=”StyledBodyCell-sc-5cu9ee bGuMza”u003E24{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}u003C/tdu003Eu003Ctd colSpan=”1″ rowspan=”1″ width=”33.33{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}” class=”StyledBodyCell-sc-5cu9ee bGuMza”u003E47{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}u003C/tdu003Eu003C/tru003Eu003C/tbodyu003Eu003C/tableu003Eu003C/divu003Eu003C/divu003Eu003C/divu003En u003C/divu003Enn u003Cscript type=”application/json” class=”js-react-component” data-component-name=”SortableTable”u003E”alignsHorizontal”:[“left”,”right”,”right”],”alignsVertical”:[“top”,”top”,”top”],”columnWidths”:[“33.33{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}”,”33.33{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}”,”33.33{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}”],”data”:[[“”,”LGBTQ+”,”Straight”],[“Yes”,”76{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}”,”53{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}”],[“No”,”24{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}”,”47{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}”]],”footnote”:””,”hideHeaderRow”:false,”hasMarginBottom”:true,”isExpandable”:false,”isSortable”:false,”maxWidth”:”1215″,”minWidth”:”100{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a}”,”showSearch”:false,”sortColumnIndex”:0,”sortDirection”:”asc”u003C/scriptu003Ennu003C/divu003Eu003C/pu003Ennu003Cpu003EMembers of the LGBTQ+ community are more likely to identify seasonal depression, grief and poor family relationships as being responsible for their loneliness. Those who are straight, meanwhile, cite not being around loved ones as a more common loneliness trigger.u003C/pu003Ennu003Cpu003Eu003Cdiv class=”ShortcodeImageResponsive–root”u003En u003Cfigure class=”ShortcodeImage–root”u003En u003Cpicture class=”ShortcodeImage–picture”u003En u003Csourcen media=”(max-width: 607.5px)”n data-srcset=”https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_1.0,f_auto,h_1600,q_auto,w_1600/v1/mental-health-struggles-m_fbifds 1x, https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_2.0,f_auto,h_1600,q_auto,w_1600/v1/mental-health-struggles-m_fbifds 2x”n/u003En u003Cimg alt=”This is a graph about LGBTQ struggles” class=”lazyload” data-src=”https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_1.0,f_auto,h_1600,q_auto,w_1600/v1/mental-health-struggles_zjrfbw” src=”https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_2.0,e_blur:1000,f_auto,h_1600,q_1,w_1600/v1/mental-health-struggles_zjrfbw” data-srcset=”https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_1.0,f_auto,h_1600,q_auto,w_1600/v1/mental-health-struggles_zjrfbw 1x, https://res.cloudinary.com/value-penguin/image/upload/c_limit,dpr_2.0,f_auto,h_1600,q_auto,w_1600/v1/mental-health-struggles_zjrfbw 2x”u003En u003C/pictureu003En u003C/figureu003Enu003C/divu003Enu003C/pu003Ennu003Cpu003E”,”padding”:”double”