You can spend every day surrounded by other people and still feel lonely. You can also spend long periods alone without finding the experience distressing.

That difference may help explain why loneliness affects health differently from social isolation. In a new study, my colleagues and I found evidence that loneliness may contribute to poorer mental health and wellbeing, and to some measures of poorer general health. Social isolation appeared to have a narrower influence, with the clearest evidence involving poorer wellbeing.

Around one in six people worldwide experiences loneliness, according to the World Health Organization. Loneliness is the distress someone feels when their relationships do not provide the closeness or connection they want. Social isolation describes the number and frequency of a person’s social contacts. The experiences can overlap, although a person may experience either one without the other.

Previous research has linked loneliness and social isolation with poorer mental and physical health, including depression and cardiovascular disease. An overview of systematic reviews also found associations with poorer general health.

These patterns cannot establish cause and effect. Loneliness might contribute to ill health, while illness can restrict someone’s activities and relationships. Poverty, disability and childhood circumstances may also influence both health and social connection.

Our study used several statistical approaches with different........

© The Conversation