Our relationships and positive social connections are essential for us to thrive.
The quality of our relationships and friendships at home, at work and in our communities matter.
If we feel lonely most or all of the time, it can have a serious impact on our wellbeing, and our ability to function in society. As loneliness has been linked to poor physical health, mental health, and poor personal wellbeing – with potentially adverse effects on communities – it is an issue of increasing interest to national and local government, as well as internationally.
Loneliness is different to social isolation, in that we can have any number of connections with family, friends, or other people, and still feel lonely. Loneliness can also be usefully distinguished from solitude – which has positive associations for the person experiencing it.
We have been building the evidence base on the different types of loneliness, and what works to reduce it across the lifecourse.
Most of us experience loneliness as some point in our lives, but the Office of National Statistics report that 5% of the UK population feel chronically lonely. Of this 5%, they are most likely to share the following characteristics with those who are at risk of low wellbeing:
In 2018 we carried out a high-quality evidence review (a review of published systematic reviews) to find out what interventions worked to alleviate loneliness. It also looked at what key ingredients were common across these activities. Across the interventions that had an effect on reducing loneliness, we found these important mechanisms:
There are three different types of loneliness experienced by different populations:
What does this mean for policy and practice?
To support charities and social enterprises in understanding their impact on loneliness, our guidance helps you use the national loneliness measures in evaluations.
