By 2050, it is estimated that about a fifth of the general population will be aged 65 years and older.1 Social isolation and loneliness among young (18–40 years), middle-aged (41–64), and older adults (65 years and older) is thus a serious public health concern of our time because of its strong connection with cardiovascular, autoimmune, neurocognitive, and mental health problems.2 The scientific literature has documented the bidirectional and complex relationship between psychological issues and social disconnectedness in the past 40 years.
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Newman et al. (2020) studied this question.
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