Take this 5-minute quiz to test how lonely you really are right now, and what you should do about it

• About 61% of Americans have felt lonely. According to researchers, loneliness and social isolation can be as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
• Experts predict that the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing will likely worsen loneliness rates.
• Business Insider recently spoke with Daniel Russell, a former UCLA researcher and current professor at Iowa State University, who shared a nationally acclaimed scale that measures how lonely you are.
• Here's the quiz to measure your loneliness, and what you should do about the results.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

We have a loneliness problem - and it's about to get worse.

About 61% of Americans have reported feeling lonely at some point in their lives, according to a 2020 nationwide survey conducted by Cigna, a health services company. The survey noted that more than three in five people have reported symptoms of loneliness, which include feelings of being left out, being poorly understood, or lacking companionship.

At a time when loneliness was already at epidemic levels in the US, experts expect self isolation and social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic to exacerbate the problem. Depriving oneself of social interactions isn't natural for many people. In fact, social isolation can be as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to the Indian Journal of Psychiatry.

"There's a stigma associated with loneliness," Daniel Russell, a former researcher at UCLA and current professor at Iowa State University, told Business Insider. "Oftentimes, people downplay how they're feeling - especially when being asked direct questions about their state of mind."

In order to research the subject, Russell helped develop a "loneliness scale" at UCLA in 1978 that has since been revamped and used in multiple national surveys.

Business Insider used the variables and methodology provided by Russell to replicate his survey and its findings. We've used the questions asked in his survey to create a quiz you can take to measure how lonely you're feeling at this moment, and how your answer compares to others. [Editor's note: The results of this quiz should not be read as a diagnosis. See below for resources you should use if you're struggling with feelings of depression amid the pandemic.]

What you should do if you're feeling alone

Social isolation can worsen your feelings of loneliness, and it's important to remember that you're not the only one going through this. In fact, loneliness is less of an individual problem and more of a community challenge, Russell said.

Just because we can't physically be with each other doesn't mean we can't connect. Millennials have been coming up with virtual activities to keep in touch with each other, like online beer pong, regular happy hours, and Netflix parties, Business Insider previously reported.

Kelley Kitley, a psychotherapist and author, told The Wall Street Journal that virtual happy hours are a way "to make some kind of normalcy out of such a not-normal situation. To find some ways to have consistency and to have things to look forward to. To schedule a date with somebody that you would have coffee with, but through the phone."

Additionally, Russell recommended that employers prioritize on community building. "This is a clear call to destigmatize loneliness within our culture and to innovate solutions that create positive changes for communities, schools, and organizations," he said.

Part of addressing loneliness at an organizational level is by creating resource groups and offering support. Coronavirus has encouraged companies to tweak their benefits package and offer more mental health tools for employees.

Some companies have already done so. For example, professional-services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) introduced sessions where employees can reach out to a professional coach to discuss anything that may be causing them stress, Business Insider reported. Starbucks also expanded its mental health benefits, allowing employees who work at least 20 hours a week to access 20 therapy sessions with no cost.

If you don't feel comfortable talking about your feelings of loneliness with your friends, family, and colleagues, experts recommend you tap into telehealth and online therapy services. In fact, virtual therapists have told Business Insider that they're experiencing a surge in demand amid the pandemic.

The Crisis Text Line, a free and confidential crisis intervention hotline, saw a massive spike in texts in the past two weeks, Business Insider reported. Since the coronavirus outbreak, the number of crisis-counselor volunteers also doubled.

Though more people are using online therapy and hotline services amid the global pandemic, the good news is that there are more resources available now than before.

If you're struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, or suicidal thoughts, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP(4357) anytime for free, confidential help, or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

And get the latest coronavirus analysis and research from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is impacting businesses.

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