Authors: Harry Owen Taylor, Thomas K.M. Cudjoe, Feifei Bu, and Michelle H. Lim.
Overview
In this editorial, we consider the current state of loneliness and social isolation research around the world, including knowledge gaps in the empirical literature.
For centuries, scholars have examined how social conditions influence human relationships and how these relationships influence health—from cell to society. Two important features of research on social relationships include loneliness and social isolation. Loneliness is defined as a perceived/subjective condition in which an individual is dissatisfied with the quality and/or quantity of their social relationships. Social isolation is an objective condition characterized by a lack of contact with other people and being disengaged from groups and social activities. Loneliness and social isolation are sometimes misconstrued as the same phenomena in public discourse and media; however, previous research has shown they are distinct psychosocial constructs that are weakly to moderately correlated with each other. As a result, it is possible to be lonely and socially isolated, lonely but not isolated, and isolated but not lonely. Additionally, loneliness and social isolation are mechanistically associated with different health outcomes.
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