Loneliness takes a toll on your health and wealth, and it can even shorten your life. US Surgeon General Vivek Murphy has declared it a national epidemic, with over 50% of Americans reporting regular experiences of loneliness. Beneath this seemingly harmless feeling, which we might dismiss as subjective and fleeting, lies a significant concern. Murphy explains it eloquently: "It's a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing."