Remote Work Comes With a Little-Known Downside

Working from home may feel like a win—until you look at what it does to your head. A new study led by Federal Reserve Bank of New York economist Natalia Emanuel, published in Science, finds that while remote work often lifts productivity and work-life balance, it also substantially increases time spent alone and is linked to worsening mental health, per CBS News. Using five national surveys spanning roughly a decade around the pandemic, researchers found remote workers saw a 58% jump in hours spent solo compared with office workers and a 72% increase in their risk of going an entire day without any in-person interaction, per NPR.

The surge in remote work—from 7% of US workers in 2019 to 28% in 2023—appears to be part of the broader rise in psychological distress post-COVID, the study suggests. Remote workers reported an increase in emotional distress and were more likely to see mental health professionals and use psychiatric medications, even though their reported job satisfaction and flexibility remained high. The authors say employees may welcome telework but underestimate the long-term toll of sustained isolation. "We even see a decrease in spending time with friends after the work day relative to people in non-remotable occupations," Emanuel tells NPR, with an outside expert suggesting remote workers seek out daily human interactions.