The Startling Loneliness of Middle-Aged Americans

There has been increased attention over the past few years to the problem of loneliness, and its serious and detrimental effects on physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Loneliness isn't necessarily defined by the amount of time one spends alone or the number of friendships a person has. Instead, it is a subjective experience involving a mismatch between the quality of social connections one has in reality versus the connections one wants. And it has truly negative consequences for all aspects of well-being.

Loneliness has been increasing both in the United States and worldwide. New research suggests that among the middle-aged, Americans are far lonelier than their peers in Europe—though loneliness is increasing everywhere.

In a recent study led by Frank Inferno, associate professor of psychology at Arizona State University and published in American Psychologist, long-term datasets from 14 countries were analyzed. These included the Health and Retirement Study in the United States, the English Longitudinal Study of Aging in Great Britain, and the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Sweden, Israel, Greece, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, Austria, and Belgium.

Some notable findings suggest cultural and age-related differences.

Across all countries included in the study, those born in 1946-1964—often referred to as Baby Boomers, and on the older side of middle-aged— had the highest levels of loneliness. However, American Baby Boomers had even higher levels of loneliness than their international peers.

In the next generation, Americans also reported significantly higher levels of loneliness in the generation referred to as Generation X—those born between 1965 and 1984—compared to every country except Great Britain. These folks, who would mostly meet the definition of the younger side of middle-aged, seem to be on pace to have even higher levels of loneliness than the Baby Boomers if their rates keep increasing.

Further disheartening, loneliness seemed to be increasing over time for most age groups across multiple countries. Splitting certain generations, like American Baby Boomers, showed that the younger members of the generation were lonelier at earlier ages.

In short, Americans seem particularly lonely. And everyone seems to be getting more and more lonely over time.

What accounts for the loneliness?
The study authors suggest some factors might play a role. Those with the lowest levels of loneliness in the study tended to belong to countries like Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden, which are nations that include higher levels of social services for their citizens, and more extensive governmental safety nets. When unemployment and increased substance abuse hit communities, loneliness tends to follow—and the less support available for those challenges, the more loneliness will continue to rise. Furthermore, parents who struggle to balance child care and their professional lives often have fewer opportunities for social interaction and support. It stands to reason that countries providing better family leave and childcare opportunities may see lower levels of loneliness. Thus, social safety nets can help play a protective role against loneliness—but further research could help clarify this connection, and perhaps allow for a conclusion about causality rather than just correlation.

Moreover, there may be differences in how older Americans are treated relative to their younger peers and mindsets about the aging process that may differ cross-culturally. Perhaps the relative unlikelihood of multi-generational living in the U.S. compared with other countries, for instance, leads to increased isolation and loneliness among older Americans in an even more dire way than in other countries. Or the general cultural perspective of aging—viewing people as increasingly feeble versus as increasing sources of wisdom—may play a role in how robustly people seek out friendship and community in their later years. This may affect their overall sense of self-worth.

Hopefully, some of the driving factors will be explored more in time. This latest research underscores that loneliness is a prevalent and concerning problem, in the U.S. and worldwide. Loneliness can mean declining physical health and increased mortality, and we must counteract this on an individual and societal level, especially in the United States.