Lonely? Idahoans may be hit harder by social distancing than 48 other states, study says

Whether it’s working from home or sipping wine with friends on Zoom, life during the coronavirus pandemic isn’t as fulfilling — let alone normal.

But is it tougher on Idahoans than folks in the majority of the other 50 states?

That’s the conclusion of a new research article titled, “Where Social Distancing Hits Residents the Hardest.”

Blame yourself for being too friendly, Idaho.

Or maybe this study needs to keep its distance.

The analysis — based on data from the U.S. Department of Labor — claims that Idahoans may be having the second-hardest time in America. It bases this deductive logic on numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2018 American Time Use Survey, which breaks down how we spend our daily lives.

Who published this social-distancing study? Um, LendingTree. Yes, the online loan marketplace. It’s truly become a strange world.

That detail aside, the concept is semi-interesting. Basically, it attempts to figure out “where people are most social and may now be the loneliest today.”

“To find the most social places in America, LendingTree researchers gathered data for seven metrics. ... Specifically, we looked at time spent on phone calls, mail and email; socializing and communicating; sports exercise and recreation; religious and spiritual activities; volunteering; caring for and helping household members and caring for and helping non-household members. We then added up the average amount of time spent doing each activity per day. This gave us the average amount of time a person in each place spent in social situations per day. “

So why is Idaho hit so hard? Two rankings that helped push us toward the top of the loneliness pile seem reasonable: “Residents in Idaho spent more time in religious and volunteering activities compared with other states,” the study says.

Idaho also got a solid — but not amazing — ranking for time spent doing sports and recreation. (What, isn’t everybody in Boise out jogging 6 feet apart on the Greenbelt these days?)

Overall, Idahoans spend 159 minutes per day in social situations, according to LendingTree. Only Rhode Island ranked higher.

Looking at the big picture, folks in Western states and New England tend to be more social than the rest of the country, the study claims.

Conversely, where might Americans be having the easiest time social distancing?

That would be Washington, D.C.

Apparently, people in D.C. work constantly. They have a pitiful 88 minutes of nonwork social time each day, LendingTree says.

Alaska, at 49th, and New Mexico, at 48th, also rank as places with possibly no big problem social distancing.

So if you’re lonely, Idaho, cheer up. The COVID-19 era will end someday. In the meantime, at least you aren’t punching the clock 24 hours a day.