Loneliness Peaks Twice: Unveiling the U-Shape of Adult Isolation

Loneliness in adulthood exhibits a U-shaped pattern, peaking in early and older adulthood and lowest in middle adulthood. This finding comes from a new study by Northwestern Medicine, which analyzed nine longitudinal studies from around the world. “What was striking was how consistent the uptick in loneliness is in older adulthood,” said Eileen Graham, the study’s corresponding author and an associate professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

The study, recently published in Psychological Science, also explored several risk factors contributing to heightened loneliness across all stages of life. “There’s a wealth of evidence that loneliness is related to poorer health, so we wanted to better understand who is lonely and why people are becoming lonelier as they age out of midlife so we can hopefully start finding ways to mitigate it,” added Graham.

The Health Risks of Loneliness

Loneliness can elevate the risk of premature death to levels comparable to those posed by daily smoking, according to the U.S. Surgeon General. This statement was made a year ago when a call to action was issued to fight America’s loneliness epidemic. Graham believes her findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to reduce loneliness, especially among older adults. She suggests that general practitioners could assess loneliness during regular wellness visits to identify those at greatest risk.

Corresponding author Eileen Graham, associate professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, summarizes the findings of her new study. Credit: Kristin Samuelson, Northwestern University

Persistent Loneliness: Risk Factors

The study found individuals with higher persistent loneliness were disproportionately women, more isolated, less educated, had lower income, had more functional limitations, were divorced or widowed, were smokers, or had poorer cognitive, physical, or mental health.

Loneliness Across the Lifespan

The U-shaped loneliness pattern was observed across nine datasets from the U.K., Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Australia, Israel, and other countries, with only one dataset from the U.S. All studies were conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic, when many researchers found loneliness became even more pronounced.

“Our study is unique because it harnessed the power of all these datasets to answer the same question — ‘How does loneliness change across the lifespan, and what factors contribute to becoming more or less lonely over time?’,” Graham said.

Middle Adulthood: A Socially Active Phase

Middle adulthood is the least lonely period, possibly due to the numerous social demands on individuals in this life stage, such as marriage, employment, and interactions with other parents. However, the link between social interaction and loneliness is complex. “You can have a lot of social interaction and still be lonely or, alternatively, be relatively isolated and not feel lonely,” Graham said.

Loneliness in Young and Older Adults

The study data starts at the end of adolescence, a time when young adults navigate significant life transitions such as education, careers, and relationships. “As people age and develop through young adulthood into midlife, they start to set down roots and become established, solidifying adult friend groups, social networks, and life partners,” explained Tomiko Yoneda, assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis. “We do have evidence that married people tend to be less lonely, so for older adults who are not married, finding ongoing points of meaningful social contact will likely help mitigate the risk of persistent loneliness.”

Reference: “Do We Become More Lonely With Age? A Coordinated Data Analysis of Nine Longitudinal Studies” by Eileen K. Graham, Emorie D. Beck, Kathryn Jackson, Tomiko Yoneda, Chloe McGhee, Lily Pieramici, Olivia E. Atherton, Jing Luo, Emily C. Willroth, Andrew Steptoe, Daniel K. Mroczek and Anthony D. Ong, 30 April 2024, Psychological Science.
DOI: 10.1177/09567976241242037

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