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Feeling lonely three times in 8 years is enough to increase your risk of dying according to new research
New research from the University of Michigan suggests that eight years of loneliness can lead to an increased risk of mortality in adults.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic forced everyone inside their homes, the effects of loneliness on your health could be as profound and they were wide-ranging. This week, new research indicates that feeling lonely multiple times over just eight years can notably increase the risk of mortality in middle-aged adults.
Long-term loneliness linked to increased risk of mortality
A 2023 survey found that 17% of Americans experience feelings of loneliness. Whilst that figure may have been in steady decline since the 2020 pandemic, it still represents around 44 million people in the US.
Its long been known that prolonged feelings of loneliness can lead to a higher risk of mortality, but many scientific studies have only ever looked at loneliness at a single point or over a short period of time; instead of over multiple years, which is arguably the more dangerous scenario.
This month, a team of scientists from the University of Michigan School of Public Health attempted to expand those studies to a wider time range, examining the association between loneliness and risk of death over an eight-year period in middle-aged people.
Why this age group? Well, according to the researchers, feelings of loneliness and isolation can vary significantly over a persons lifetime due to stressful events that typically occur more commonly in later-life such as a loved one passing away, or a serious health problem.
The team then analyzed over 9,000 patient records with a mean baseline age of 64 years between 1996 2019 and found that just eight years of prolonged feelings of loneliness was linked to a higher risk of mortality in the subsequent 15 years of a persons life.
In fact, patients who reported experiencing loneliness at one time point had a 1.05 times higher risk of dying, with around 106 excess deaths per 10,000 people.
People who reported experiencing loneliness at two time points had a 1.06 times higher risk of mortality, representing around 202 excess deaths.
Finally, those patients who reported three or more times of loneliness over an eight-year period had a 1.16 times higher chance of mortality at around 288 excess deaths per 10,000 people.
The researchers hope that these results can lead to public health initiatives and policies to reduce the experience of loneliness among aging adults.
They also cite that addressing feelings of loneliness in this age group may be one of the key factors in increasing population life expectancy.
Ameliorating the loneliness experience in mid-to-late life could be a potential intervention target to reduce excess deaths and increase life expectancy in the United States.
If you need support with feelings of loneliness or want advice on how to support those around you, reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741 in the US.
