Scientific Research & Studies

Here’s a reading list of scientific articles and studies that document research on one of today’s growing public health crises: Loneliness and Isolation.

• May 2018 report in the Journal of the American Heart Association, “Perceived Social Isolation and Outcomes in Patients With Heart Failure”
• 2017 a study published in Physician Leadership Journal discussing creative expression as a way to increase patient activation in the management of Type 2 diabetes.
  
• A 2009 study on the physical and mental health effects of social isolation, including social disconnectedness and perceived isolation.
• A 2013 CDC review on the substantial increase of suicide among adults since 1999, with deaths from suicide surpassing deaths from motor vehicle crashes.
• A 2012 study on loneliness and health in older adults, which followed two thousand American adults over six years, and found an increased mortality risk with loneliness.
• A report on 2013 research that indicated increased immune dysfunction among lonely individuals, especially those with preexisting health conditions.
• A nationwide 2010 survey by the AARP that found that over one-third of American adults are lonely and that loneliness is a predictor of poor health.
• A 2010 meta-analysis of 148 studies determined a link between loneliness and an increased risk of mortality.
• An early study, published in 1998, showed a correlation between increased internet usage and loneliness, social disengagement, and poor psychological health.
• A 2010 meta-analysis of 40 studies on the internet and psychological well-being, indicating that internet usage had a detrimental effect on well-being, increasing loneliness and depression.
• Two 2014 studies demonstrated that loneliness is a longitudinal risk factor for pain, depression, and fatigue and that loneliness increases the risk of poor health and mortality.
• A 2013 study found linking loneliness to immune dysregulation.
• A 2011 evidence review by the Mental Health Foundation (UK) delineated the benefits of participation in creative activity on health and well-being for elderly adults. 
• A 2015 meta-analysis demonstrated that loneliness is associated with early mortality risk, with living alone, social isolation, and feelings of loneliness increasing risk of death by up to 32%. 
• Research in 2015 showed that art therapy was effective in reducing loneliness and emotional disorder, as well as in improving academic test scores for adolescents with learning difficulties.
• A 2008 study indicated that creative arts therapies reduced physical pain, as well as depression, anxiety, and loneliness in pediatric oncology and hematology patients. 
• A 2015 study shows that loneliness triggered biological changes at the cellular level, causing increased inflammation and decreased antiviral response, risk factors for illness and premature death.