Loneliness is a part of life and something that most of us experience at some point. But when loneliness is severe or lasts a long time, it can have a negative impact on our health and well-being.

 

Recent studies suggest that long-term loneliness is one of the largest health concerns we face. It is as harmful as obesity or smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Feeling lonely can lead to depression, anxiety, disrupted sleep and stress. It can also be a factor in heart disease, increased blood pressure and degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

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Long-term loneliness has serious health implications​​

• Loneliness is likely to increase your risk of death by 26%. [1]​​

• Loneliness is worse for you than obesity. [2]​​

• Loneliness is a risk factor for depression in later life. [3]

• Loneliness and social isolation put individuals at greater risk of cognitive decline and dementia. [4]​

• Loneliness and social isolation have been linked to a 30% increase in the risk of having a stroke or coronary artery disease. [5] 

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Loneliness affects people of all ages​

• 16-29-year-olds are twice as likely as those over 70s to experience loneliness [6]​​​

• Characteristics of people who are more likely to experience loneliness include those who are widowed, those with poorer health and those with long-term illness or disability. [3]​​

• In 2023, a survey from Nextdoor in partnership with Marmalade Trust revealed that 85% of UK adults had experienced loneliness in the last 12 months. Almost half (44%) felt chronically lonely. [4] ​

• Disconnected communities could be costing the UK economy £32 billion every year. [8]​

• The number of over-50s experiencing loneliness is set to reach two million by 2025/6. This compares to around 1.4 million in 2016/7 – a 49% increase in 10 years [9]​

• Half a million older people go at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all [10]​​

• Two fifths all older people (about 3.9 million) say the television is their main company [11].​

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References

[1] Holt-Lunstad, 2015. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25910392/

[2] Holt-Lunstad, 2010.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20668659/

[3] Courtin, E., & Knapp, M. (2017). Social isolation, loneliness and health in old age: a scoping review. Health & social care in the community, 25(3), 799-812

[4] Cacioppo, J.T. and Cacioppo, S., 2014. Older adults reporting social isolation or loneliness show poorer cognitive function 4 years later. Evidence-based nursing, 17(2), pp.59-60.

[5] https://heart.bmj.com/content/102/13/1009 

[6] (Community Life Survey 2019-20) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-life-survey-201920 

[7] Nextdoor, Marmalade Trust. "The silent epidemic". (2023)

[8] Research commissioned by Eden Project initiative The Big Lunch - https://www.edenprojectcommunities.com/the-cost-of-disconnected-communities 

[9] Age UK 2018, All The Lonely People

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/reports-and-publications/reports-and-briefings/loneliness/loneliness-report_final_2409.pdf

[10] Age UK 2016, No-one should have no one

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/No-one_Should_Have_No-one_Working_to_end_loneliness.pdf?dtrk=true

[11] Age, U.K., 2014. Evidence Review: Loneliness in Later Life. London: Age UK