Lonely older adults are more likely to live shorter lives than their peers and spend less of their remaining life in good health or being active, according to a new study in Singapore and Japan.

The study categorically quantifies for the first time the affects of loneliness in old age on life and health expectancy.

“We found that lonely older adults can expect to live a shorter life than their peers who don’t perceive themselves as lonely,” says lead author Rahul Malhotra, assistant professor and head of research at Duke-NUS’ Centre for Aging Research and Education (CARE). “Furthermore, they pay a penalty for their shorter life by forfeiting potential years of good health.”

“Besides being the year associated with the coronavirus disease, 2019 was also when the number of adults aged over 30 made up half the total global population for the first time in recorded history, marking the start of an increasingly aging world,” says senior author Angelique Chan, associate professor and executive director of CARE. “In consequence, loneliness among seniors has become an issue of social and public health concern.”

“This study is timely because stay-at-home and physical distancing measures instituted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have only intensified concern for the mental and physical well-being of older persons,” says Yasuhiko Saito from the College of Economics at Nihon University and a senior co-author of the study.

Read the full article about loneliness by Federico Graciano at Futurity.