Americans are spending more time at home than ever before. While the pandemic’s stay-at-home lockdowns accelerated the movement, researchers say that the trend toward being a homebody actually began in 2003 and has grown by 10% since then.

According to Real Simple, Princeton sociologist Patrick Sharkey found that we’re spending an hour and a half more time at home each day than we did two decades ago.

“It’s a dramatic shift in our daily lives,” he said. “Almost every part of our lives is more likely to take place at home.” We’re also spending less time socializing and shopping, volunteering and traveling, which gives us more time at home. Sharkey and his colleagues found that we’re also spending more time sleeping and enjoying 15 minutes more of our daily leisure activities.

One of the reasons for this homeward shift is obviously the internet, which today allows us to shop, renew our passports and perform a host of activities with a few clicks. Men and younger folks are more likely to hang out at home, according to the new study, as well as college-educated people and those with higher incomes.

The health effects noted include a loss of connection to friends, but a greater connection with family members. According to the U.S Surgeon General’s report, almost half of Americans report having three or fewer close friends today while in 1990, 27% of us reported the same numbers.

While staying at home can trigger anxiety — especially if the place is messy and cluttered ─ some reports indicate that working remotely is less stressful. However, the study also pointed out that the activities we perform at home are not as joyful as those done elsewhere. Face-to-face interaction is more beneficial for our health and well-being, the researchers found,

Physically, we are more sedentary when we stay at home, which is not a surprising finding. In fact, a 2022 review confirmed that being at home leads to a more sedentary lifestyle. Kasley Killam, a leading expert in social health and connection, says that it is important to be intentional with your at-home time to keep social networks strong.

“What distinguishes alone time from loneliness is how you feel,” she says. “If you’re enjoying it, it’s solitude, and that’s a good thing. Isolation and loneliness can be more problematic.”

A recent study by the Mayo Clinic revealed that social isolation is linked to a biological age gap and higher mortality rate. Researchers found that socially isolated people are more likely to show signs of being biologically older than their age and more likely to die from a variety of causes.

Killam suggests creating a “to-love” list. She suggests writing down the names of three people you want to connect with each day and taking the time to call or text them. Weave these moments into your down time, while waiting for the laundry to dry or standing in line at the supermarket.

“There are lots of studies showing even simple gestures like that create connection,” she says. “It’s important to spend time with friends, coworkers — even complete strangers like your barista. Data shows these interactions actually matter.”