Credit: Dr. Oluwasegun Akinyemi, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Credit: Dr. Oluwasegun Akinyemi, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Lonely people may be more likely to have poor physical and mental health

Embargoed until: Publicly released:
Peer-reviewed: This work was reviewed and scrutinised by relevant independent experts.

Observational study: A study in which the subject is observed to see if there is a relationship between two or more things (eg: the consumption of diet drinks and obesity). Observational studies cannot prove that one thing causes another, only that they are linked.

Survey: A study based solely on people’s responses to a series of questions.

People: This is a study based on research using people.

US scientists analysed phone surveys of nearly 50,000 Americans and found that more than four in five reported some degree of loneliness, and that loneliness was linked with poor mental and physical health. More than 80% of participants said they were lonely to some extent, and those who said they were 'always' lonely were at higher risk of depression, took more mental health days off work, and experienced more days of poor physical health than people who said they were 'never' lonely. They also found women were more likely than men to experience depression and poor mental health days across all levels of loneliness, while Black people were less likely to experience depression and poor mental health days than White people across all loneliness levels.  Effectively tackling loneliness could help reduce the burden of physical and mental health issues, the authors conclude.

Journal/conference: PLOS One

Research: Paper

Organisation/s: Howard University, USA

Funder: This project was supported (in part) by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 2U54MD007597. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Media release

From: PLOS

Loneliness predicts poor mental and physical health outcomes

Survey data collected from nearly 50,000 people in the U.S. found that 4 in 5 report some loneliness, with levels strongly correlated with poor mental health days, and poor physical health days

Loneliness is common and is a strong and independent predictor of depression and poor health outcomes, according to a new study published July 9, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Dr. Oluwasegun Akinyemi, a Senior Research Fellow at the Howard University College of Medicine, Washington DC, U.S.

Loneliness has emerged as a significant public health concern in the United States, with profound implications for mental and physical health. In the new study, researchers analyzed Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data collected via phone surveys between 2016 and 2023. The study population included 47,318 non-institutionalized adults living in the U.S., predominantly White (73.3%) and female (62.1%), and aged 18-64 years (72.1%).

More than 80% of participants reported some level of loneliness. Compared to those who reported “Never” being lonely, individuals who reported being “Always” lonely had a significantly higher predicted probability of depression (50.2% vs. 9.7%, p<0.001), had on average 10.9 more poor mental health days per month (20 vs. 9.4), and 5.0 more poor physical health days per month (all p<0.001). Women consistently experienced a higher likelihood of depression and more poor mental health days than men across loneliness levels, and Black individuals had lower probabilities of depression and fewer mental health days than White individuals across loneliness levels.

The study was limited by the reliance on self-reported measures as well as possible bias from unmeasured confounders such as personality traits or life events. However, the authors state that the findings of the study carry urgent policy and practice implications. They suggest that loneliness should be prioritized alongside traditional risk factors in public health planning and that routine loneliness screenings in clinical settings could help identify high-risk individuals for interventions such as social initiatives.

The authors add: “Our study highlights that loneliness is not just an emotional state—it has measurable consequences for both mental and physical health. Addressing loneliness may be a critical public health priority to reduce depression and improve overall well-being.”

“Conducting this research allowed us to explore the lived experiences of many individuals in vulnerable situations. What stood out most was how strongly loneliness affected every aspect of health—underscoring the urgency of tackling this hidden epidemic.”

Attachments:

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public

  • PLOS
    Web page
    The URL will go live after the embargo ends

News for:

International

Multimedia:

  • Loneliness is a strong predictor of depression and poor health
    Loneliness is a strong predictor of depression and poor health

    Loneliness is common and is a strong and independent predictor of depression and poor health outcomes, according to new study.

    File size: 349.0 KB

    Attribution: Dr. Oluwasegun Akinyemi

    Permission category: © - Only use with this story

    Last modified: 10 Jul 2025 4:10am

    NOTE: High resolution files can only be downloaded here by registered journalists who are logged in.

Show less
Show more

Media contact details for this story are only visible to registered journalists.