And the solitude is a complex feeling that can affect everyone, a new study reveals that it would get particularly worse over the years. Defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a “social pain linked to not feeling connected to others“, loneliness is an evil that can have serious repercussions on healthmental like physique. In a press release published in November 2023, the WHO estimated that loneliness would be a “urgent health threat“, so that”lack of social connections leads to a risk of early death equivalent to, or even greater than, other better-known risk factors, such as smoking, alcohol abuse,physical inactivityobesity and air pollution“.
Through a new study, American scientists have taken an interest in the feeling of loneliness that we can experience in our adult life. They sought to understand evolution and fluctuation of this feeling, as well as its risk factors.
The beginning of adult life and the third age would be the most predisposed to loneliness
Published in the journal Psychological Sciencel’study was conducted by a team from Northwestern University, located in the state of Illinois. To answer their questions, the researchers reviewed nine longitudinal studies, carried out before the Covid-19 pandemic, notably in the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Australia and Israel. After reviewing previously published work, they found that loneliness in adulthood follows a “U”-shaped curve. According to their observations, the feeling of loneliness would be highest among young adults as well as older adultsand at the same time the weakest in middle adulthood.
“What is surprising is the consistency of the increase in loneliness in adulthood“, commented Eileen Graham, author of the study and professor of medical social sciences at the Northwestern University School of Medicine. And continued: “There is plenty of evidence that loneliness is linked to poorer health, which is why we wanted to better understand who is lonely and why people become lonelier as they ageso that we can, we hope, begin to find solutions to limit this phenomenon.“
Women mainly affected by loneliness
According to the results of this large study, people suffering the most from persistent loneliness were, disproportionately, women, who were more isolated, with limited education, low income, who had functional limitations, divorced or widowedsmokers and in poorer cognitive, physical or mental health.
As for the loneliness observed at the end of adolescence, it would be linked to the important transitions that young adults experience, for example linked to the end of their education, the start of their career or even changes in relationships with those close to them, such as friendly separation or in love. “As people age and advance through midlife, they begin to establish themselves and put down roots, consolidating their adult friend groups, networks, and relationships with their life partners. We have evidence that married people tend to feel less lonely, so for older adults who are not married, find meaningful social contacts will likely help alleviate the risk of persistent loneliness“, concludes by explaining Tomiko Yoneda, author of the study and professor of psychology.
Sources :
- WHO creates a Commission to promote social bonds – World Health Organization (WHO)
- Do We Become More Lonely With Age? A Coordinated Data Analysis of Nine Longitudinal Studies – Psychological Science
- As we age, we grow more lonely – Université Northwestern
