Associations of loneliness, social isolation and healthy lifestyle with life expectancy free of major physical disease and mental disorder
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Key result
Loneliness and social isolation linked to up to ~6 fewer disease-free years.
- n=277,489
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Why the study?
Loneliness and social isolation are linked to higher mortality and adverse conditions, but the extent to which they affect overall health and quality of life remains unclear.
Do loneliness and social isolation reduce life expectancy free of major physical disease and mental disorder in adults?
Key Points
- To assess how loneliness, social isolation, and healthy lifestyle habits correlate with life expectancy free of major physical diseases and mental disorders.
- Analyzed data from N=277,489 adults in the UK Biobank who were initially free of seven major chronic diseases: type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, neurodegenerative disease, cancer, depression, and anxiety.
- Estimated years of life expectancy free of physical and mental disorders from age 50 based on self-reported loneliness, social isolation, and lifestyle factors.
- At age 50, adults experiencing both loneliness and social isolation lived 2.4 fewer years (women) and 1.7 fewer years (men) free of physical disease compared to those experiencing neither.
- Loss of life expectancy free of mental disorders was 3.7 fewer years in women and 5.8 fewer years in men with both loneliness and social isolation.
- Adopting healthier lifestyles significantly narrowed the loss of disease-free life expectancy associated with social isolation, while the attenuation for loneliness was not statistically significant.
Study Design
Type
Cohort (n=277,489)
Structured PICO
Do loneliness and social isolation reduce life expectancy free of major physical disease and mental disorder in adults?
P
Population
277,489 adults from the UK Biobank initially free of seven major chronic diseases.
E
Exposure
Loneliness and social isolation
C
Comparator
Individuals experiencing neither loneliness nor social isolation
O
Outcome
Life expectancy free of major physical disease (type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer) and mental disorder (depression and anxiety)composite
Loneliness and social isolation are associated with a significant reduction in disease-free life expectancy, particularly for mental disorders, though a healthy lifestyle can attenuate the impact of social isolation.
Key expert perspectives
Captured external expert commentary on this paper, strongest first. Original sources are linked where available.
“This comes down to the gender differences between men and women. Our research found men are more susceptible to being affected by loneliness. We also know that women tend to live longer than men. There are gender advantages with certain diseases.”
Implication
May warrant mental health screening in isolated adults; leaves open causality and intervention effects in trials.
Abstract
Loneliness and social isolation are linked to higher risks of mortality and a range of adverse physical diseases and mental disorders, yet the extent to which they affect overall health and quality of life remains unclear. Here we show that loneliness and social isolation are more strongly associated with life expectancy free of mental disorder than with life expectancy free of physical disease. This study includes 277,489 adults from the UK Biobank who are initially free of seven major chronic diseases (type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, neurodegenerative disease, cancer, depression, and anxiety). At age 50, women and men experiencing both loneliness and social isolation, as compared to their counterparts experiencing neither, live 2.4 and 1.7 fewer years free of physical disease and 3.7 and 5.8 fewer years free of mental disorder, respectively. Notably, the loss of disease-free life expectancy associated with social isolation narrows with healthier lifestyles, but the corresponding association for loneliness was not statistically significant. The authors observe that loneliness and social isolation relate to shorter life expectancy free of physical (type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer) and mental disorders (depression and anxiety) in the UK Biobank. These associations are particularly pronounced for mental disorders, and the loss of disease-free life expectancy associated with social isolation is attenuated in individuals with healthier lifestyles.
Discussion
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Cite This Study
Wang et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Healthy adults (free of major chronic diseases) (n=277,489). Loneliness and social isolation vs. Experiencing neither loneliness nor social isolation was evaluated on Life expectancy free of physical disease and mental disorder. Women and men experiencing both loneliness and social isolation lived 2.4 and 1.7 fewer years free of physical disease and 3.7 and 5.8 fewer years free of mental disorder, respectively.
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