Feeling Lonely: Health Effects And Effective Responses

The novelist Thomas Wolfe once wrote, “Loneliness is and always has been the central and inevitable experience of every man.” While that may be true, and many, if not most of us, experience loneliness at some point in our lives, that doesn’t mean it’s an easy experience or one without consequences. We’ve previously highlighted some of the negative health effects that can arise as a result of feeling lonely, even equating it with some of the same negative consequences as those attributed to smoking. Certainly, there have also been studies linking feelings of loneliness with cognitive decline. New research continues to pull at the strings of this connection, though with mixed results.

In a new study published in Aging & Mental Health, researchers attempted to examine the influence of loneliness on memory over a period of years. With over 10,000 participants between the ages of 65 and 94, and following the participants for 7 years, the study was intended to elucidate the impact of loneliness on immediate and delayed recall. A majority of the enrolled participants were categorized as experiencing average feelings of loneliness, but about 8% of those enrolled were considered to have high levels of loneliness. Among that small select group, immediate and delayed memory recall were definitely lagging at the beginning of the study in comparison to those in the average loneliness group. However, across the 7 years of the study, those in the high loneliness group did not experience memory decline at higher rates than the average loneliness group. In other words, loneliness did appear to have some impact on memory problems, but it did not seem to speed up cognitive decline that could lead to dementia. So, in essence, this study does challenge the notion that loneliness directly contributes to causing dementia. Instead, it may affect baseline brain performance without causing serious cognitive decline. Yet, at the same time, loneliness continues to be an important public health concern, and the research certainly supports the concept of doing routine loneliness checks among older adults. This is especially true because feelings of loneliness can change over time, and interventions can change the course of the subjective feeling of being lonely.

In fact, one recent study does appear to demonstrate that experiencing nature and being outside can be an important strategy for mediating and eliminating feelings of loneliness. Published in Health & Place, this Norwegian study found that being outside in nature, even if you are alone, can help prevent or mediate a feeling of loneliness, because just the experience of being in nature can give you a sense of belonging and a connection to a specific place and natural environment. Of course, that sense of connection is heightened as you pay attention to details of what’s around you, be they sounds, lights, patterns, views, etc. Noticing details grounds your sense of connection (in contrast to something like exercising in nature, where you are more focused on the goal of your exercise). And if you are alone while experiencing nature, that may even further ground your sense of belonging and reduce your feelings of loneliness, as spending time on your own in nature could lead to deeper, more personal reflection and help create in you a stronger sense of being connected to a community. In essence, what this study suggests is that purposely putting yourself in nature to support a connection to your environment can be a deliberate strategy to lower feelings of loneliness, rather than just the background for other types of interventions. 

Finally, speaking of purpose, one additional new study looks at the concept of purpose as it relates to older adults seeking to lessen their loneliness by going online. In this study, published in The Journals of Gerontology Series B, researchers report that using purpose to direct your online connections can lead to more meaningful interactions and thus a reduction in feelings of loneliness, rather than merely logging on and scrolling in the hope of connecting with someone. The recommendation is that you use the internet to join groups connected to your interests, be they hobbies, faith, or learning. In essence, connect the technology to what excited you in order to allow the technology to help reduce your feelings of loneliness. For more on this concept of purposeful online connection to combat feelings of loneliness, figure out what stirs your passions, and get more instruction here.