Story perspectives

U.S. Remote Workers Face 72% Isolation Spike, 50% Prescription Rise

6/14/2026

Summary

Story summary

Economist Natalia Emanuel and colleagues reported remote work increased isolation and mental distress for U.S. workers.
The study used five national surveys of 588,322 workers from 2011-2024, excluding 2020-2021.
Remote workers saw a 72 % rise in days with no human contact and added 1.1 waking hours alone each workday versus on-site jobs.
Anxiety and depression prescriptions rose about 50 % for remote workers, representing roughly one-third of the overall distress increase.

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Story summary

Economist Natalia Emanuel and colleagues reported remote work increased isolation and mental distress for U.S. workers.
The study used five national surveys of 588,322 workers from 2011-2024, excluding 2020-2021.
Remote workers saw a 72 % rise in days with no human contact and added 1.1 waking hours alone each workday versus on-site jobs.
Anxiety and depression prescriptions rose about 50 % for remote workers, representing roughly one-third of the overall distress increase.