Loneliness may steal nearly 6 years of good health

Key points

• A Tulane University study found loneliness and social isolation were associated with the loss of nearly six years of life free from mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.
• Women experiencing both loneliness and social isolation lived about 3.7 fewer years without mental disorders, while men lived approximately 5.8 fewer years free from those conditions.
• Healthier habits reduced the loss of disease-free years linked to social isolation but did not significantly reduce the added health risks tied to loneliness.

A new observational study from Tulane University's Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public and Tropical Medicine has estimated how many years of good health may be lost to loneliness and social isolation. Published in Nature Communications, the first-of-its-kind research found the two conditions were associated with the loss of nearly six years of life free from mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Effects on physical health were smaller but still significant.

The study analyzed data from 277,489 adults aged 40 to 69 who initially had none of seven major chronic conditions: diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, dementia, cancer, depression and anxiety. Using age 50 as a reference point, researchers calculated expected years lived without these diseases.

How the two conditions differ

The researchers distinguish between loneliness and social isolation, which are often treated as the same thing in everyday conversation. Social isolation is an objective lack of social connections, while loneliness describes a person's subjective dissatisfaction with the quality of their relationships, regardless of how many social interactions they have.

Overall, the study found that social isolation and loneliness can have a significant impact on disease-free life expectancy

— Lu Qi

Gender differences in the findings

Compared with people who experienced neither condition, women experiencing both had 2.4 fewer years free from physical disease, and men had 1.7 fewer years. The gap was larger for mental health: women lived about 3.7 fewer years without mental disorders, while men lived approximately 5.8 fewer years free from those conditions.

Lead author Lu Qi, a professor at Tulane, said the difference comes down to gender, noting that men are more susceptible to being affected by loneliness and that women tend to live longer than men. The team also found that healthier habits, including better diet, regular exercise, sufficient sleep and not smoking, reduced the loss of disease-free years linked to social isolation, but did not significantly reduce the added risks tied to loneliness.