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Cited by 197Health disparities and outcomesCultural Differences and ValuesPsychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction

Loneliness across time and space

Open access
Luhmann, Maike, Buecker, Susanne, Rüsberg, Marilena·2022·Nature Reviews Psychology
DOI 10.1038/s44159-022-00124-1PMC PMC9640887
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Abstract

People feel lonely when their social needs are not met by the quantity and quality of their social relationships. Most research has focused on individual-level predictors of loneliness. However, macro-level factors related to historical time and geographic space might influence loneliness through their effects on individual-level predictors. In this Review, we summarize empirical findings on differences in the prevalence of loneliness across historical time and geographical space and discuss four groups of macro-level factors that might account for these differences: values and norms, family and social lives, technology and digitalization, and living conditions and availability of individual resources. Regarding historical time, media reports convey that loneliness is on the rise, but the empirical evidence is mixed, at least before the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding geographical space, national differences in loneliness are linked to differences in cultural values (such as individualism) but might also be due to differences in the sociodemographic composition of the population. Research on within-country differences in loneliness is scarce but suggests an influence of neighbourhood characteristics. We conclude that a more nuanced understanding of the effects of macro-level factors on loneliness is necessary because of their relevance for public policy and propose specific directions for future research.

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  • The direction of effects between social-media usage and mental health is unclear.

    “The direction of effects between social-media usage and mental health is unclear (Ferguson, 2021; Luhmann et al., 2022; Orben et al., 2019);”

    From Social Drivers and Algorithmic Mechanisms on Digital Media. (2024) · cites this paper as Luhmann et al., 2022

    In “Technology and mobility,” the paper says the causal direction between social-media use and loneliness is unclear: some studies suggest use increases loneliness, while others suggest loneliness increases smartphone use. Loneliness is a mental-health-related outcome, but this passage does not establish that the direction is unclear for mental health generally. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • Differences in correlates of loneliness may be expected in India because of collectivism, the family system, and more restrictive norms about social relationships.

    “Despite most studies on loneliness among the oldest-old in Western or high-income countries, much less is known about loneliness among the oldest-old in India, a country where collectivism, the family system, and more restrictive (i.e., more, tighter, or more demanding) norms about social relationships are emphasized, differences in correlates of loneliness may be expected [2,12,21,33].”

    From Factors associated with loneliness in a national study among persons 80 years and older in India in 2017-2018 (2025) · cites this paper as [21]

    The Cross-national differences section says cultural values and family and social norms may affect loneliness, and that some correlates differ between collectivistic and individualistic countries. It does not establish that India has the particular family system or more restrictive relationship norms described, or demonstrate these differences among India's oldest-old; the cited comparisons are mainly European. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. [17]Baarck, J. et al. Loneliness In The EU. Insights From Surveys And Online Media Data. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/28343 (Publications Office of the European Union, 2021). · DOI
  2. [70]Hofstede, G. Cultures And Organizations. Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, And Organizations Across Nations 2nd edn (Sage Publications, 2001).
  3. [109]Billiet, J., Koch, A. & Philippens, M. in Measuring Attitudes Cross-Nationally: Lessons From The European Social Survey Ch. 6 (eds Jowell, R. et al.) 107–129 (Sage Publications, 2007).
  4. [111]Rokach A The effect of gender and culture on loneliness: a mini review Emerg. Sci. J. 2018 2 59 64
  5. [165]Wang, X. D., Wang, X. L. & Ma, H. Handbook Of Mental Health Assessment (Chinese Mental Health Journal Press, 1999).

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Authors
Luhmann, M., Buecker, S., & Rüsberg, M.
Affiliations
Ruhr University Bochum (DE)
Corresponding author
Luhmann, Maike
ORCID
Venue
Nature Reviews Psychology
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2022-11-07
Volume
2
Issue
1
Pages
9-23
ISSN
2731-0574 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s44159-022-00124-1
PMC
PMC9640887
OpenAlex
W4308434869
Cited by
197
References
167
Citations by year
2026: 55 · 2025: 83 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 2
FWCI
4.92
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nature Reviews Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Cultural Differences and Values
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Keywords
loneliness, macro-level factors, cross-national differences, cultural values, individualism, socio-demographic structure, neighborhood characteristics, digitalization, living conditions, social needs, public policy

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