Loneliness can significantly impact health, causing significantly negative effects comparable to well-known risk factors like smoking, lack of physical activity, and obesity, especially in older age. In fact, being lonely has been scientifically proven to notably reduce physical and mental health as well as reduce overall quality of life and life expectancy rates.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately one in 4 older adults experience social isolation at some point in their lifetimes, and between 5% to 15% of adolescents experience loneliness. These issues are an especially extensive issue in Canada, affecting about a third of its population. A recent study from the University of Waterloo revealed that loneliness not only negatively impacts Canadians’ physical and emotional well-being as described above but it can also reduce memory capabilities, which could be particularly detrimental to the country’s aging population as age itself tends to lead to decreased cognitive function.While being lonely is generally associated with being isolated or otherwise living a life of solitude, the feeling itself is actually rather subjective. The circumstances and extent to which an individual feels lonely can vary greatly from person to person and some people still feel it even when surrounded by others. In a room full of people, a person might still feel misunderstood, outcasted, or otherwise different or left out, thus inducing the same negative health effects as being alone for a substantial amount of time.Regardless of where, when, and how loneliness creeps in, however, it has been long been known to lead to depression and elevated stress hormone levels, both of can impair memory. If an individual suffers from chronic depression or has too many things on their plate and remains stuck in ‘fight or flight’ for a prolonged period of time, they may begin to notice their recollection of the past, both short- and long-term, failing. The Waterloo researchers sought to understand the combined, as well as separate, effects of loneliness and social isolation on the memory, targeting middle-aged and older adults over a period of six years.

Photo by SHVETS production from Pexels

Given that reactions to situations vary, the team separated participants into four distinct groups after determining their unique experiences of social isolation and loneliness: 1) those who were both socially isolated and lonely, 2) those who were only socially isolated, 3) those who were only lonely, 4) and those who were neither.Predictably, individuals who experienced both social isolation and loneliness showed the greatest decline in memory over the six-year period. However, somewhat surprisingly, loneliness alone had the second-most significant impact on memory, worsening recall more so than the effects of social isolation alone.Ji Won Kang, lead author of the study and a PhD candidate in the School of Public Health Sciences at Waterloo, highlighted this unexpected outcome, stating, “As we expected, people who were both socially isolated and lonely had the greatest decline in memory, which intensified over the six years. But we were surprised to find that loneliness alone had the second-greatest impact on memory, even though so many studies report on the dangers of social isolation without considering loneliness."Another interesting finding was that those who were socially isolated but not lonely seemed to have more of a desire to engage in activities that stimulated their cognitive abilities, such as reading, playing various kinds of games, and pursuing other enjoyable hobbies. These activities likely helped maintain their memory during the study period, essentially showing that socializing with others is not the only way to protect cognitive health.Kang hopes the findings will lead to the development of community programs designed to support older adults who are both socially isolated and lonely before their memory declines, and the study’s author suggested providing transportation services or home-visit programs, which could address barriers preventing this population from engaging in the community.For those who are lonely but not socially isolated, she explained that it’s important to dig deep and identify the root causes of their loneliness because this isn’t immediately evident. The individuals have social connections but still feel lonely, likely because of other internal struggles. Kang suggested interventions like mental health therapy to help jumpstart a journey of self-discovery and healing in order to combat loneliness.

Sources:

Loneliness can have greater negative impact on memory than social isolationExploring the differential impacts of social isolation, loneliness, and their combination on the memory of an aging population: A 6-year longitudinal study of the CLSA