For millions of Americans, working from home has become one of the most valued changes to emerge from the pandemic. No commute. More flexibility. Greater control over the workday. But that remote work may carry unexpected downside, according to a recent study — increased loneliness, social isolation, anxiety and depression.

The study analyzed data on over 588,000 American workers collected between 2011 and 2024. It found that people in jobs that could be performed remotely spent substantially more time alone, reported greater psychological distress, and were more likely to seek mental health treatment and use antidepressants and other psychiatric medications than workers whose jobs required in-person attendance.

Technology may allow us to work from almost anywhere, but our emotional well-being still depends on meaningful contact with other people.

The investigators drew data form five large, nationally representative surveys of U.S. workers. To avoid confusing the effects of remote work with the extraordinary stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic, they excluded data from 2020-2021.

Rather than comparing individual workers who chose to work remotely with those who did not, the researchers, led by Natalia Emanuel, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and Emma Harrington, an economist at the University of Virginia, along with colleagues, compared people employed in “remoteable” occupations, such as software engineering, marketing and other office-based jobs, with workers in occupations that generally require physical presence, including nursing, food preparation and other hands-on professions.

Those workers in remote-capable jobs experienced a 58 percent increase in hours spent alone compared with workers in non-remoteable occupations. They also had a 72 percent greater likelihood of spending an entire day without any human interaction.

Some workers reported days with absolutely no social contact — not even a few words with fellow shoppers or check-out clerks.

Researchers also discovered that remote workers were not compensating for that lost connection after work. In fact, they spent less time socializing with friends during weekdays than workers in occupations requiring in-person attendance.

Casual conversations with coworkers, greetings from neighbors or brief exchanges with strangers can contribute more to emotional well-being than we realize.

The team measured the workers' well-being using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, a widely accepted tool that assesses symptoms such as nervousness, hopelessness, restlessness, sadness and feelings that everything is an effort. Across the board, remote-capable workers reported higher levels of distress.

The effects extended beyond survey responses. Remote workers were more likely to visit mental health professionals and more likely to receive prescriptions for anxiety, depression and other psychiatric conditions.

The most concerning impact was seen among people who live alone and work at home. Social isolation increased dramatically among this group. Unsurprisingly, people living alone in remote-capable jobs were ten times more likely to spend an entire day without social contact than workers who lived with partners or children. Their psychological distress scores rose substantially, and their use of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications increased at more than twice the rate observed among remote workers overall.

Protecting mental health may require intentionally creating opportunities for social connection. Set up a coffee date; find a coworking space; volunteer; join a walking group. You want to find some way to spend part of the week around people.

The researchers are not suggesting that everyone should return to the office five days a week. Remote work offers many benefits, including reduced commuting time, greater flexibility and, for some workers, improved accessibility. But the findings highlight something many people may underestimate: the value of in-person everyday human interaction.

Casual conversations with coworkers, greetings from neighbors or brief exchanges with strangers can contribute more to emotional well-being than we realize. In fact, the authors estimate that the growth of remote work may account for roughly one-third of the increase in psychological distress observed in the United States between the pre-pandemic years and today.

For folks who work from home, especially those who live alone, the message is a crucial one. Protecting mental health may require intentionally creating opportunities for social connection. A coffee date, a coworking space, volunteering, joining a walking group or simply spending part of the week around people, may help replace some of the social infrastructure that traditional workplaces once provided.

The flexibility of remote work remains enormously appealing. But this study reminds us that human beings are social creatures. While technology may allow us to work from almost anywhere, our emotional well-being still depends on meaningful contact with other people.

The study is published in Science.