Remote work linked to rising isolation and poorer mental health, study finds

The rapid growth of remote work since the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to increased social isolation and worsening mental health among workers, according to a major new study published in the journal Science. Researchers from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the University of Virginia and Harvard University analysed data from five nationally representative surveys covering nearly 590,000 American workers between 2011 and 2024. Their findings suggest that the shift towards home working may account for around one third of the rise in mental distress recorded in the United States since the pandemic.

The study compared workers in occupations that can be performed remotely, such as software development and marketing, with those in roles that generally require a physical presence, including nursing and construction. Researchers used this distinction to isolate the effects of remote work from individual lifestyle choices and pre-existing mental health differences.

They found that people in remote-capable occupations experienced substantially larger increases in time spent alone than those in jobs unsuitable for remote work. The likelihood of spending an entire day without social contact increased particularly sharply among people living alone. For this group, the chance of having no human interaction during the day rose by seven percentage points, an increase of more than 80 percent.

The increase in isolation was accompanied by measurable declines in mental wellbeing. Workers in remote-capable occupations reported higher levels of psychological distress, greater use of mental health services and increased prescriptions for antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication. The effects were most pronounced among people living alone.

According to the researchers, workers in occupations that became substantially more remote after the pandemic spent an average of 1.1 additional waking hours alone on each workday and were four times more likely to remain at home all day compared with workers in less remote occupations.

The authors note that previous research has often highlighted the benefits of remote working, including improved flexibility, reduced commuting and greater job satisfaction. Surveys have consistently shown that many employees value the option to work from home and are willing to trade pay for greater flexibility. However, the new findings suggest that these advantages may be accompanied by less visible long-term costs.

The study’s authors argue that many workers may underestimate the cumulative impact of reduced daily social interaction. They suggest that organisations should consider ways to make remote and hybrid work less isolating, including coordinating office attendance days and encouraging informal social interaction among colleagues, whether in person or online.

The researchers acknowledge that their data runs only to 2024 and may not fully capture longer-term adaptations as workers develop new social networks and routines outside the workplace. Nevertheless, they conclude that understanding the relationship between remote work, isolation and mental health will be increasingly important as organisations continue to refine their workplace strategies.