How much does social disconnection raise the risk of dying early?

Social isolation and loneliness are both associated with higher all-cause mortality, though they carry different pooled estimates. Evidence from a meta-analysis of 90 cohort studies involving over 2.2 million adults indicates an increased risk for social isolation (pooled effect size 1.32) and an increased risk for loneliness (pooled effect size 1.14) (Wang, 2023). A separate meta-analysis of 148 studies reported that individuals with stronger social relationships have an increased likelihood of survival (OR = 1.50) (Holt-Lunstad, 2010). Estimates for specific living situations vary. However, the 2010 analysis found binary residential status (living alone) to be the weakest predictor, with an odds ratio of 1.19 that did not exclude the possibility of no effect (Holt-Lunstad, 2010). Results also differ regarding whether loneliness is an independent risk. While the 90-cohort synthesis established a mortality signal for loneliness, it noted that not all contributing studies adjusted for objective isolation (Wang, 2023). In a specific cohort of older adults, the association between loneliness and mortality did not remain significant once researchers adjusted for objective social isolation and baseline health (Steptoe, 2013). Most mortality meta-analyses exclude deaths from suicide and unnatural causes, meaning these estimates may be conservative. Some figures on this topic are not yet verified in this corpus and have been left out.

Sources

  1. Holt-Lunstad J et al., 2015 — Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: a meta-analytic review Read the source
  2. Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010 — Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review Read the source
  3. Wang F et al., 2023 — A systematic review and meta-analysis of 90 cohort studies of social isolation, loneliness and mortality Read the source
  4. Holt-Lunstad et al., 2018 — Why Social Relationships Are Important for Physical Health: A Systems Approach to Understanding and Modifying Risk and Protection Read the source
  5. Hanlon et al., 2024 — The relationship between frailty and social vulnerability: a systematic review Read the source
  6. Donovan et al., 2020 — Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Review and Commentary of a National Academies Report Read the source
  7. Pantell et al., 2013 — Social Isolation: A Predictor of Mortality Comparable to Traditional Clinical Risk Factors Read the source
  8. Steptoe et al., 2013 — Social isolation, loneliness, and all-cause mortality in older men and women Read the source
  9. Mehrabi et al., 2024 — The temporal sequence and reciprocal relationships of frailty, social isolation and loneliness in older adults across 21 years Read the source