Science

Americans aren't getting lonelier – just older, study suggests


Older people are not necessarily lonelier than previous generations – despite talk of a loneliness ‘epidemic’, suggests new research.

Elderly baby boomers are not any lonelier than similar-aged counterparts through the ages – there are simply more of them, according to the findings of two studies published in the journal Psychology and Ageing.

Using data from two national surveys in the US, University of Chicago researchers examined participants’ level of loneliness, educational attainment and overall health, as well as the number of family members and friends they felt close to.

They found that loneliness decreased between the ages of 50 and 74, and increased in people aged 75 and over, but detected no shift in loneliness between baby boomers and their older counterparts.

Loneliness has always increased with age, and a new study suggests that Americans todya aren't any lonelier than prior generations - they are just older (file)

Loneliness has always increased with age, and a new study suggests that Americans todya aren’t any lonelier than prior generations – they are just older (file) 

‘We found no evidence that older adults have become any lonelier than those of a similar age were a decade before,’ study lead author Dr Louise Hawkley, from the University of Chicago, said.

‘However, average reported loneliness begins to increase beyond age 75, and therefore, the total number of older adults who are lonely may increase once the baby boomers reach their late 70s and 80s.’ 

Most demographics analyses divide age brackets at 65, so it’s difficult to say exactly how many Americans are in their late 70s. But by 2017, 15.6 percent of people in the US were over age 65.  

‘Loneliness levels may have decreased for adults between 50 and 74 because they had better educational opportunities, health care and social relationships than previous generations.’ 

Americans are also working longer than they have in past decades, giving them more opportunities for human contact.  

Adults over 75 were more susceptible to becoming lonely, possibly due to life factors such as declining health or the loss of a spouse or significant other, according to the new study’s findings. 

 ‘Our research suggests that older adults who remain in good health and maintain social relationships with a spouse, family or friends tend to be less lonely,’ added Dr Hawkley. 

She and her team distributed a survey on health, education levels, loneliness and social connections three different times, among two samples of adults. 

The first survey was sent out between 2005 and 2006, to over 3,000 people who were born between 1920 and 1947. 

The same group got the survey again over the course of the period from 2010 to 2011. Researchers also sent the survey to the spouses and partners of those initial respondents, for a total sample of 3,377 people. 

A final survey was conducted between 2015 and 2016, among 4,777 people – inclusive of the previous sample plus participants born between 1948 and 1965.  

People got lonelier as they got older, as expected. But there was not difference in people’s loneliness levels based on their generations. 

In a similar study, researchers in Holland found that older adults were less lonely than their counterparts from previous generations.

Older adults born in later generations were found to be less lonely because they felt more in control and thus most likely managed their lives better.

Study leader Dr Bianca Suanet, of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, said: ‘In contrast to assuming a loneliness epidemic exists, we found that older adults who felt more in control and therefore managed certain aspects of their lives well, such as maintaining a positive attitude, and set goals, such as going to the gym, were less lonely.

‘Additionally, as is well-known in loneliness research, participants who had a significant other and larger and more diverse networks were also less lonely.’

The researchers urge older adults take personal initiative to better nurture their social ties, such as making friends to help them overcome increasing loneliness as they age.

Dr Suanet said: ‘People must manage their social lives better today than ever before because traditional communities, which provided social outlets, such as neighborhoods, churches and extended families, have lost strength in recent decades.

‘Therefore, older adults today need to develop problem-solving and goal-setting skills to sustain satisfying relationships and to reduce loneliness.’

Dr Hawley says the opportunities offered by modern technology could help older people maintain meaningful social connections. 

‘Video chatting platforms and the Internet may help preserve their social relationships,’ she said. 

‘These tools can help older adults stay mobile and engaged in their communities.’ 



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