Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2010 Oct;40(2):218-27.
doi: 10.1007/s12160-010-9210-8.

Loneliness matters: a theoretical and empirical review of consequences and mechanisms

Louise C Hawkley  1 , John T Cacioppo
Affiliations
Review

Loneliness matters: a theoretical and empirical review of consequences and mechanisms

Louise C Hawkley et al. Ann Behav Med. 2010 Oct.

Abstract

As a social species, humans rely on a safe, secure social surround to survive and thrive. Perceptions of social isolation, or loneliness, increase vigilance for threat and heighten feelings of vulnerability while also raising the desire to reconnect. Implicit hypervigilance for social threat alters psychological processes that influence physiological functioning, diminish sleep quality, and increase morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this paper is to review the features and consequences of loneliness within a comprehensive theoretical framework that informs interventions to reduce loneliness. We review physical and mental health consequences of loneliness, mechanisms for its effects, and effectiveness of extant interventions. Features of a loneliness regulatory loop are employed to explain cognitive, behavioral, and physiological consequences of loneliness and to discuss interventions to reduce loneliness. Loneliness is not simply being alone. Interventions to reduce loneliness and its health consequences may need to take into account its attentional, confirmatory, and memorial biases as well as its social and behavioral effects.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Berguno G, Leroux P, McAinsh K, Shaikh S. Children’s experience of loneliness at school and its relation to bullying and the quality of teacher interventions. Qualitative Report. 2004;9:483–499.
    1. Pinquart M, Sorensen S. Influences on loneliness in older adults: A meta-analysis. Basic and Applied Social Psychology. 2001;23:245–266.
    1. Weeks DJ. A review of loneliness concepts, with particular reference to old age. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 1994;9:345–355.
    1. Peplau L, Perlman D. Perspectives on loneliness. In: Peplau L, Perlman D, editors. Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research, and therapy. New York: Wiley; 1982.
    1. Hawkley LC, Hughes ME, Waite LJ, et al. From social structure factors to perceptions of relationship quality and loneliness: The Chicago Health, Aging, and Social Relations Study. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences. 2008;63B:S375–S384. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types