People around the world who experienced loneliness during Covid-19 showed a slight increase of about 5% compared to pre-pandemic levels. This increase, although not large, can have an impact on the mental and physical health of many people in the long run, as well as on their life expectancy, according to a new German-American scientific research.
Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University School of Medicine in Mainz, Goethe in Frankfurt and Cornell in New York, led by Dr. Murray Ernst I, published their findings in the American Psychological Journal surveys conducted on four continents (mainly in Europe and North America) and involved a total of more than 200,000 people. The study (systematic review and meta-analysis) assessed the extent to which lockdowns, social distancing, teleworking, distance learning and other restrictive measures increased people’s loneliness.
All of the above due to the pandemic has increased social isolation, but scientific research has shown that social isolation does not always lead to loneliness. Social isolation means that one now has a very small social network and few interactions with others, while loneliness is a painful feeling that accompanies one’s sense that quantitatively and qualitatively one does not have the social connections and contacts one would like.
The scientific study of the subject so far has found that there is a weak correlation between social isolation and loneliness, something that is partially confirmed by the new study in pandemic conditions. The new research concluded that on average there was an increase of about 5% in the number of people who felt lonely in the midst of Covid-19, although there were differences depending on factors such as age, area, etc.
“The pandemic seems to have really increased loneliness. But given the small increase, the ominous warnings of a “loneliness pandemic” seem exaggerated. “On the other hand, loneliness is indeed a risk factor for premature mortality, as well as for worse mental and physical health,” Ernst said.
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