Adults with inborn errors of immunity, also called primary immunodeficiency, who cut back social contact to avoid infections reported more depression and anxiety symptoms. A 2026 German clinic study of 143 patients also found that about 1 in 4 people with significant symptoms had never been diagnosed.1 Research Highlights Isolation went with higher symptom scores: …
In a 2026 interview study involving 6 adults with long-term chronic pain in Quebec, participants said their deepest suffering came less from how much they hurt than from what pain did to their social lives: loneliness, judgment and the strain of trying to look normal.1 Research Highlights Social losses, not pain intensity, defined suffering: all …
A 2026 qualitative study of a 10-week Danish Arts on Prescription program found that young adults aged 18 to 30 often described more stable daily routine, confidence, and belonging, but some activities also caused stress, fatigue, or discomfort.1 The useful interpretation is structured creative groups may help some disconnected young adults rebuild daily life when …
A longitudinal MIDUS analysis involving 840 adults found that loneliness scores higher than a person's objective social-isolation score were linked to later cognitive impairment mainly through chronic disease burden, while the allostatic-load pathway was weaker than the chronic-disease pathway and not statistically confirmed for the main cognitive outcomes.1 Research Highlights Loneliness was separated from isolation: …
A 2026 pilot randomized trial involving 36 older U.S. veterans with PTSD symptoms found that a structured social-function group therapy produced stronger signals for romantic and family functioning than a support group, with condition-by-time effects of eta-squared = 0.072 and eta-squared = 0.112. The same trial did not show a specific advantage for friendships and …
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a disabling multisystem illness marked by post-exertional malaise, cognitive dysfunction, pain, sleep disruption, and autonomic symptoms; a 2026 PLOS One qualitative analysis of 505 memorial entries found that bereaved accounts repeatedly placed death inside 4 overlapping contexts: systemic neglect, clinical dismissal, social disconnection, and personal functional collapse.1 Research Highlights …
Loneliness raises measured risk of Alzheimer’s, suicidal ideation, and completed suicide. The associations are documented; the precise magnitudes are not.