Loneliness is a prevalent issue that has been identified as a significant predictor of depression and poor health outcomes, according to a recent study published in PLOS One by Dr. Oluwasegun Akinyemi, a Senior Research Fellow at the Howard University College of Medicine in Washington DC, U.S.
The study utilized data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, gathered through phone surveys conducted between 2016 and 2023. The research included 47,318 non-institutionalized adults residing in the U.S., with a majority being white (73.3%) and female (62.1%), aged between 18 and 64 years (72.1%).
Results revealed that over 80% of participants reported experiencing some level of loneliness. Individuals who reported feeling “Always” lonely exhibited a significantly higher likelihood of depression (50.2% vs. 9.7% for those who reported “Never” being lonely), along with an average of 10.9 more poor mental health days per month (20 vs. 9.4) and 5.0 more poor physical health days per month.
Furthermore, women consistently showed a higher probability of depression and experienced more poor mental health days compared to men across different levels of loneliness. Interestingly, Black individuals demonstrated lower probabilities of depression and fewer mental health days than their white counterparts across various loneliness levels.
While the study was limited by self-reported measures and potential biases from unmeasured confounders, the findings underscore the critical need to address loneliness as a public health concern. The authors recommend prioritizing loneliness alongside traditional risk factors in public health planning and advocating for routine screenings for loneliness in clinical settings to identify individuals at high risk for interventions like social initiatives.
The researchers emphasize that loneliness has tangible consequences on both mental and physical health, highlighting the urgency of addressing this “hidden epidemic.” By shedding light on the impact of loneliness on overall well-being, the study calls for concerted efforts to combat this issue and improve the health outcomes of individuals experiencing loneliness.
For more information on the study, you can refer to the publication by Akinyemi et al. in PLOS One (2025) with the DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319311. This research was made possible in collaboration with the Public Library of Science.
In conclusion, the study’s findings emphasize the profound impact of loneliness on mental and physical health, urging for concerted efforts to address this issue and enhance the well-being of individuals affected by loneliness.
