Feeling lonely can do more than dampen your mood—it may speed up how quickly your memory fades, especially if you’re also struggling with hearing loss.
A study analyzing data from 33,000 older Europeans found that emotional loneliness—not just social isolation—dramatically increased the risk of cognitive decline in people with hearing impairments.
Hearing Loss and Loneliness: A Cognitive Threat
Hearing loss can lead to more than just communication struggles and reduced awareness. It often contributes to a sense of isolation, and over time, it may also raise the risk of cognitive decline.
Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) analyzed data from 33,000 older adults across Europe to explore how hearing impairment and feelings of loneliness might work together to affect memory. Their analysis revealed three key patterns based on levels of social isolation and perceived loneliness. The results showed that memory decline progressed more quickly in individuals who felt lonely, regardless of whether they were socially isolated, especially if they also experienced hearing loss.
These findings, published in Communications Psychology, highlight the importance of early hearing care as a preventive measure.
Global Impact of Hearing Impairment
The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that by 2050, nearly 2.5 billion people will have some form of hearing impairment. Currently, over one-quarter of individuals aged 60 and older are affected by disabling hearing loss. Beyond the difficulties this causes in daily interactions, hearing loss has also been linked to a much higher chance of cognitive decline—possibly two to three times greater than in those without hearing issues.
“We found that people who were not socially isolated but who felt lonely saw their cognitive decline accelerate when they were deaf.”
A New Approach to Understanding Memory Loss
A joint team from the Lifespan Developmental Psychology Lab and the Cognitive Ageing Lab at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) set out to investigate whether the combination of hearing difficulties and feelings of loneliness — whether objectively measured or subjectively perceived — could be associated with accelerated memory decline in older age. “This is a relatively new approach,” explains Charikleia Lampraki, postdoctoral researcher in the Lifespan Lab at UNIGE’s Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences and first author of the study. “While some studies have suggested that this might be a promising avenue, very few research teams have actually explored it.”
Massive European Dataset Powers Analysis
To conduct their analyses, the researchers drew on data from the large-scale SHARE study (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe) — a longitudinal survey launched in 2002 that examines the health and ageing of Europeans aged 50 and over.
“We used data from twelve countries, including Switzerland, representing a sample of 33,000 people,” explains Andreas Ihle, assistant professor at the Lifespan Lab and director of the study. Participants are surveyed every two years on various aspects of their daily lives — such as activities, social connections, and perceptions — and undergo tests on cognitive functions like episodic memory, using standardised exercises.
The UNIGE research team identified three distinct profiles related to the issue:
- Individuals who are socially isolated and feel lonely
- Individuals who are not socially isolated but still feel lonely
- Individuals who are socially isolated but do not feel lonely
When Loneliness and Deafness Combine
The scientists then examined whether these different profiles had different trajectories of cognitive decline, depending on the type of perceived isolation and the degree of hearing loss. “We found that people who were not socially isolated but who felt lonely saw their cognitive decline accelerate when they were deaf,” says Matthias Kliegel, a full professor in the Cognitive Ageing Laboratory in the UNIGE’s Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, and co-author of the study.
Boosting Cognitive Health with Simple Interventions
These findings support the importance of addressing both hearing loss and the social and emotional dimensions of individuals in efforts to prevent cognitive decline. This is particularly crucial for people who are not socially isolated but still feel lonely — in such cases, simple hearing interventions, like using a hearing aid, may be enough to help them engage more fully in social life. “These individuals are already socially integrated, so it’s a matter of removing a sensory barrier in order to reinforce their engagement and protect their cognitive health,” concludes Charikleia Lampraki.
Reference: “Profiles of social isolation and loneliness as moderators of the longitudinal association between uncorrected hearing impairment and cognitive aging” by Charikleia Lampraki, Sascha Zuber, Nora Turoman, Emilie Joly-Burra, Melanie Mack, Gianvito Laera, Chiara Scarampi, Adriana Rostekova, Matthias Kliegel and Andreas Ihle, 9 July 2025, Communications Psychology.
DOI: 10.1038/s44271-025-00277-8
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