Working from home has become a normal part of life for many employees since the pandemic, as it offers greater flexibility and control over where work gets done. However, new research suggests that this shift may also be playing a role in rising mental health challenges.
Researchers writing in the journal Science analyzed data from five large surveys covering more than 580,000 U.S. workers between 2011 and 2024. Their findings suggest that the rise of remote work has significantly increased social isolation and may account for roughly one-third of the increase in mental distress observed since the pandemic.
The study focused on occupations that can be performed remotely, such as software development and office work, and compared them with jobs that require workers to be physically present.
Remote workers are spending more time alone
According to the researchers, workers in remote-friendly occupations spent 58% more hours working alone than those in jobs that cannot be done remotely. The likelihood of spending an entire day without any in-person human contact also increased by 72%.
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
The impact was even greater among people living alone. These workers were significantly more likely to go through a full day without interacting with another person, and they experienced a much larger increase in mental distress than workers living with family members.
The findings suggest that many conversations about remote work have focused on flexibility, convenience, and productivity while overlooking a more basic question of what happens when millions of people spend much less time around other people every day?
The hidden downside of workplace flexibility
For many adults, work is one of the few places where they regularly interact with people outside their households. Casual conversations, team meetings, lunch breaks, and other everyday interactions may seem unimportant, but they can play a meaningful role in maintaining social connections.
The researchers are not arguing that companies should bring everyone back to the office full time. Instead, the findings suggest that social connection could become a bigger challenge as remote and hybrid work arrangements become more common.
As more companies embrace flexible work policies, the study raises an important question about how workers can maintain meaningful social connections when their workplace is no longer a place they regularly visit.
When Encanto was released, it was something of a cultural phenomenon. You couldn’t escape the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” and the soundtrack went to the top of the charts. If you loved Encanto, there’s another overlooked Lin-Manuel Miranda animated musical on Netflix that’s better in many ways.
Vivo is another Lin-Manuel Miranda musical
He’s also the voice of the lead character
Credit: Sony Pictures Animation
Vivo is a 2021 animated musical comedy from Sony Pictures Animation, the same studio behind smash-hit movies such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and KPop Demon Hunters. Directed by Kirk DeMicco, who co-wrote it with Quiara Alegría Hudes, it features original songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the musical genius who shot to superstardom on the back of Hamilton.
Miranda also plays the title character of Vivo, a kinkajou (a small, nocturnal mammal) whose days are spent earning money by playing music in the plaza with his aging owner, Andrés. When Andrés dies, Vivo makes it his mission to deliver a song that Andrés wrote to his old friend Marta Sandoval, a famous singer played by Gloria Estefan. The song reveals Andrés’ true feelings for Marta, but he could never bring himself to give it to her.
Vivo is helped on his quest by Gabi, a young misfit and the daughter of Andrés’ niece. The movie follows their journey through the Florida Everglades to reach Miami and deliver the song.
Why Vivo flew under the radar
The big theatrical release never happened
Credit: Sony Pictures Animation
Vivo is an animated musical from a major animation studio, with a cast of big names including Miranda, Gloria Estefan, and Zoe Saldaña. It features music from one of the most in-demand songwriters in the world, who also stars in it. Why isn’t it more well-known?
Perhaps the biggest reason is that Vivo never got its expected theatrical release. After the global pandemic disrupted Sony’s plans for a wide theatrical release, the rights were sold to Netflix. Instead of a major theatrical run, it joined the huge catalog of Netflix, where shows and movies all too often get buried by the churn of new content.
It meant that, unlike Encanto, Vivo never really got the chance to enter the zeitgeist or become a TikTok staple. Its fairly quiet release on a streaming service meant that it never got the attention that it deserved.
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Vivo’s music hits different
Gloria Estefan still has it
When Encanto came out, people raved about the music. The song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” went viral, with an endless stream of TikTok videos. To my mind, however, the music in Vivo is just so much better.
I never really got the hype about “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” It’s not bad, but it’s not even the best song in Encanto. While the music in Encanto is good, none of the songs really stand out as being classics. I listen to a lot of Disney movie soundtracks with my kids, and Encanto very rarely makes the playlist, while Moana, which also includes songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, gets played far more often.
I’m sorry, Toy Story, but a new winner has entered the chat
What gets played a lot is the Vivo soundtrack because it’s genuinely brilliant. There’s something for everyone, too; there are four of us in the family, and each of us has a different favorite song from the soundtrack. That’s how good it is.
“One of a Kind” is the song that introduces us to Vivo and Andrés, and it’s a great mix of classic Cuban mambo and clave rhythms combined with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s trademark hip-hop flow. “My Own Drum” is an absolute banger sung by Gabi featuring possibly the greatest recorder solo of all time. My personal favorite, “Keep The Beat,” is a gorgeous song about keeping going when things start to change.
The most beautiful song in the movie is “Inside Your Heart,” performed by the legendary Gloria Estefan. This is the song that Andrés wrote for Marta, expressing his feelings for her. It’s a stunning song, and Estefan’s voice still sounds incredible. For me, it lands far harder than anything in Encanto.
What Vivo offers that Encanto doesn’t
There’s more than just the awesome music
Credit: Sony Pictures Animation
While both movies have music written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, only one of them features the songwriter in the main cast. Some of the fast-paced rhymes in Vivo are so distinctive that you can’t imagine anyone else doing them justice, as Dwayne Johnson proved in Moana.
Vivo also has a more dynamic story, with the action involving a race from Cuba to Miami rather than being set entirely within one location like Encanto. It also includes some interesting stylized 2D sequences that mix up the look of the movie. The emotional stakes are also much higher in Vivo, with a story that touches on death, regret, lost love, and finding your place in the world.
That’s not to say it’s a perfect movie. The plot does dip a little in the middle, but the stunning music and bittersweet ending make up for the flaws.
Are you a parent tired of watching awful kids’ shows? Give yourself a break with these Netflix series that will entertain both you and your children.
Check out Vivo if you haven’t already
If you loved Encanto and you haven’t watched Vivo, you should definitely check it out. It’s a movie that really deserves more attention than it gets. I guarantee it will be the best kinkajou-based animated musical you’ll ever see.
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