In 277,489 adults ages 40 to 69, loneliness plus social isolation lined up with fewer years free of depression and anxiety

What the research found

Study (observational; not a trial). ScienceDaily carried the Tulane University account on 10 October 2026. Xuan Wang, Hao Ma, Yoriko Heianza, Zhaoxia Liang, Oscar H. Franco, and Lu Qi report in Nature Communications (2026; 17(1); doi 10.1038/s41467-026-74498-8). The cohort was 277,489 adults ages 40 to 69 who, at the start, did not have diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, dementia, cancer, depression, or anxiety. Using age 50 as the reference, women with both loneliness and social isolation had 2.4 fewer years free of physical disease and about 3.7 fewer years free of mental disorders than people with neither. Men with both had 1.7 fewer years free of physical disease and about 5.8 fewer years free of depression and anxiety. The release separates social isolation (few connections) from loneliness (dissatisfaction with those connections). Healthier diet, exercise, sleep, and not smoking reduced the loss tied to isolation; the same habits did not clearly reduce the loss tied to loneliness. Qi said the team plans other populations and trials, because this analysis does not show that loneliness causes the missing years. Educational notes. This is not medical advice.

Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.

Read the original at Tulane University / Nature Communications