You love working from home. It may be taking a toll on your mental health

By Cordilia James, CNN

(CNN) — Since April, Matthew Juhren has spent up to 75 hours a week working remotely from his home office near Portland, Oregon. He spends most of that time alone.

“The solitude of it all is new and different,” Juhren said, “and for an extroverted person, it can be difficult at times.”

Spending too much time working alone can be harmful to your mental health, new research suggests. As companies announce new return-to-office mandates, experts say it’s important to incorporate meaningful social interaction into your day, regardless of where you work.

People who live alone and work jobs that can be done remotely report being more mentally distressed and socially isolated than those whose work has to be done in person, a recent study published in the journal Science found.

The authors analyzed over a decade of data from national surveys and compared reports from workers in jobs that can be done remotely, such as marketing, and jobs that require in-person work, such as surgery. It did not measure how many specific individuals worked remotely.

Workers in remote-friendly jobs who live alone spent 25% of days without social contact, more than twice as much as those in non-remote friendly jobs, the study found.

With some companies pushing for workers to return to the office up to five days a week, going in more often might not seem all that bad. But while fully remote work can be a risk factor for loneliness, more in-person work isn’t always better, said Dr. Constance Noonan Hadley, an organizational psychologist and founder of the Institute for Life at Work, who wasn’t involved in the study.

“It assumes that when you go to the office you have a meaningful, socially fulfilling environment,” Hadley said. Combating feelings of loneliness and isolation starts with spending more time in environments where you feel valued and understood, be it at the office or elsewhere.

Work from home highs and lows

Years after the pandemic, remote work is still popular in the United States: When asked in November, 61% of remote-capable US employees prefer to work hybrid, 33% prefer to work exclusively remote and 6% prefer on-site work, according to Gallup.

Respondents cited work-life balance as one of the biggest reasons why they love hybrid work. Other studies have found that remote work also increases productivity.

While the Science study found workers in remote-friendly jobs had higher levels of mental distress, other experts cautioned against the idea that remote work alone worsens mental health. In a July study in Frontiers in Psychology, remote workers reported the highest levels of positive well-being among roughly 7,700 healthcare employees surveyed across fully remote, hybrid and on-site roles.

Anika Farmer, 45, an attorney based in Trinidad and Tobago, has been working remotely since 2020. Two years later, she received a chronic diagnosis that made it difficult for her to drive 2 ½ hours to her office each day. Without her morning commute, she uses that time to exercise and practice mindfulness before starting her workday.

“That makes a huge difference on your stress levels and everything,” Farmer said. It helps that she lives with her mom, uncle and dog, Zeke, so she has company.

The change in psychological distress levels since the pandemic was twice as large for solo dwellers in remote-friendly jobs compared with those who live with others, the Science study found. When days went by without contacting another person, they didn’t make up for it by socializing after work hours.

That kind of behavior can stem from loneliness, or a lack of practice, making it easier to avoid future interactions, Hadley said. Lonely people who become more sensitive to social rejection may avoid future interactions as a defense mechanism, she added.

Back to the office?

At a glance, working at the office has its perks. Eighty-six percent of CEOs said they’ll reward employees who spend more time at the office, a 2024 KPMG report found. A May study published in Social Science Research Network found that remote work dampens young people’s opportunities to get hired in the future.

But going into the office doesn’t guarantee social connection.

“You can’t assume even because someone is in the office that they’re actually in contact with other humans,” said Tampa, Florida, psychologist Tammy Allen, whose research focuses on remote work, flexible working and occupational health. It also doesn’t mean the relationships with those who come in are positive, she added.

Positive, socially fulfilling environments are places where people receive validation from those around them that they are seen, valued and understood, Hadley explained. Hence, forcing people to go back to the office can have an opposite effect on mental health and well-being, she said.

“When leaders impose something that people clearly and vocally do not want, there’s a way that can increase a sense of loneliness,” Hadley said, adding that it’s important for employers to listen to employees and design mentorship programs, social groups and events they want to join.

Chronically lonely employees who struggle with social confidence may need extra support, Hadley said. Personal invitations to events can help silence fears of rejection and make them feel more encouraged to participate.

Building connection wherever you work

If you’re working remotely and spending a lot of time alone, a little social interaction can go a long way.

Even small interactions, such as chatting with your barista or smiling at a stranger, can give people a sense of belonging, a 2013 study found.

In her research, Hadley asked participants which work environment was the most socially fulfilling, and found that it wasn’t home or the office, but a third space in between.

Respondents pointed to places where they could be their authentic selves: coworking spaces, such as coffee shops. There, they didn’t have any underlying tension or competition since they weren’t doing the same work as other customers.

When deciding how to add more social time into your day, “It doesn’t have to be necessarily in your office,” Hadley said.

For Juhren, he spends that time with his partner. They don’t see each other much during the workday since she works in person in downtown Portland, but they find a way to meet up a few nights a week, just to play cards, have a beer or go somewhere to get out and do something.

“If I were alone, I think it would probably be much worse,” Juhren said, “and I would probably seek out human interaction much more than I do now.”

It’s all about balance, if your workplace allows it, and going where you feel most included.

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