Using smartphones to combat loneliness

Smartphones have radically changed how we communicate. Contacts are established quickly, but sometimes forgotten just as fast. A chat goes unanswered, a message is never returned – and the connection to friends and acquaintances is soon broken off. The figures from the latest Swiss federal health survey show that 42.3% of the Swiss population feel lonely some of the time or very often. This represents an increase of around 12% since 2007. Helsana is launching a new campaign to help combat this trend – and it sees mobile phones as an opportunity to also re-activate friendships.

In an experiment that we documented using cameras, we asked people to pull out their smartphones, scroll right down in their messaging apps and find their forgotten chats. We then encouraged our participants to take the plunge and write a spur-of-the-moment message to their “forgotten” friends and acquaintances. A simple “Hello, how are you doing?” was often all it took to revive the chat, and consequently re-establish the social connections. As a result, digital “forgotten friendships” once again became real friendships.

It’s a small step with a big impact: findings from the Helsana Emotions Study reveal that actively maintaining social relationships has a positive effect on a person’s emotional wellbeing in all respects. If we don’t socialise with other people, if there is no one there to listen to us, then our quality of life suffers. As Helsana health advisor Astrid Gabriel points out, “Isolation and loneliness cause stress, which should be taken seriously, and can also lead to sleep disorders, depression and cardiovascular diseases.” Helsana wants to help people interact more with each other again. A bit of courage and willpower can go a long way here.

Our video shows just how easily we can reactivate forgotten friendships: