Most notably, researchers found that loneliness rates peak among people in their 20s, and reach their lowest point among those in their 60s. Many people also experience a spike in lonely feelings around their mid-40s.
Young people feel loneliness the most
However, in contrast, the young report feeling lonely much more – with 40% saying they have felt this way at least some of the time. The BBC Loneliness Experiment surveyed 55,000 people and showed that 16–24-year-olds feel loneliness the most.
Older adults are at higher risk for social isolation and loneliness due to changes in health and social connections that can come with growing older, hearing, vision, and memory loss, disability, trouble getting around, and/or the loss of family and friends.
More than 40 percent of seniors regularly experience loneliness, according to a University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) study. Researchers also report that seniors self-identifying as lonely demonstrated a 59% greater risk of mental health decline and 45% greater risk of death.
Everyone experiences loneliness at some point in their lives. Middle age is a time when many life changes may be taking place and it can leave you feeling isolated and alone. Remember that other people your age are probably having very similar thoughts and experiences — it isn't just you. So go easy on yourself.
"Lacking encouragement from family or friends, those who are lonely may slide into unhealthy habits," Valtorta says. "In addition, loneliness has been found to raise levels of stress, impede sleep and, in turn, harm the body. Loneliness can also augment depression or anxiety."
If you've experienced ongoing feelings of loneliness, it can have negative effects on your physical health. It could lead to weight gain, sleep deprivation, poor heart health, and a weakened immune system. Loneliness can also put your body under more stress than normal.
Most notably, researchers found that loneliness rates peak among people in their 20s, and reach their lowest point among those in their 60s. Many people also experience a spike in lonely feelings around their mid-40s.
Dr. Havemann says pre-existing depression and anxiety, as well as bereavement – which naturally occurs more often with advancing age – also contribute. Increasing insomnia is also a factor. Brain-body changes can cause depression that occurs for the first time later in life.
There are different types of loneliness: emotional, and social and existential loneliness.
Loneliness affects people in different ways, and for this reason there are four distinct types of loneliness identified by psychologists: emotional, social, situational and chronic.
Men and women have roughly the same likelihood of loneliness. 57% of men and 59% of women reported being lonely.
Specifically: People under the age of 40 spend about 3.5 hours alone. People between 40 and 59 years old spend about 4 hours and 45 minutes alone. People 60 and older spend about 7 hours alone.
Poor social skills often lead to stress and loneliness, which can negatively affect physical as well as mental health.
Some research suggests that loneliness is associated with an increased risk of certain mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, sleep problems and increased stress.
"Loneliness can change the neurochemistry of the brain, turning off the dopamine neurons, which trigger the reward response, and causing some degeneration in the brain when the reward response is not activated," says Katherine Peters, MD, PhD, FAAN, associate professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Duke University.
In recent years, researchers have begun to unravel the cardiovascular effects of social isolation, and they've discovered that feeling alone may hurt the heart even more than actually being alone.
A 2018 survey of 3,020 US residents over the age of 45 found that one-third feel lonely. The male and female respondents were more likely to be lonely in their 40s and 50s than in their 60s, so while it seems common not to have friends in midlife, the situation can change.
When you feel lonely, it's usually because you aren't quite satisfied with what you have, whether it's in that moment or throughout your life, Cacioppo explains. And until you're able to pinpoint and then address what you're dissatisfied with, you'll feel isolated, left out, and in need of companionship.