The DOI matches its Crossref record; 36 of the 36 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Major Health Implications of Social Connection
Abstract
The influence of social relationships extends beyond emotional well-being to influence long-term physical-health outcomes, including mortality risk. Despite the varied measurement approaches used to examine social relationships within the health literature, the data can be synthesized using social connection as an organizing framework. This review discusses cumulative scientific evidence of links between various aspects of social connection and mortality, as well as supporting evidence for links with morbidity and plausible mechanisms. This evidence fulfills the criteria outlined in the Bradford Hill guidelines for establishing causality. Despite strong evidence currently available, several gaps remain and will need to be addressed if society is to rise to the challenge of developing effective interventions to reduce risk associated with social disconnection. This evidence has important broader implications for medical practice and public health.
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“Social rejection, exclusion, and isolation are themselves well-known drivers of biological stress reactivity and downstream health outcomes (Holt-Lunstad, 2021).”
From A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Informed Diabetes Prevention Program Reduces Body Shame and Distress. (2025) · cites this paper as Holt-Lunstad, 2021
In the citing paper
“There is robust evidence linking social connectedness or lack thereof to long-term health outcomes (125), including increased risk for chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and stroke (126), type 2 diabetes, and dementia (127), as well as mortality from all causes (128).”
From The impact of generative artificial intelligence on socioeconomic inequalities and policy making (2024) · cites this paper as [125]
Citations
Cites
Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review
Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010) · PLoS Medicine · doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316 · Cited by 7,272
The Environment and Disease: Association or Causation?
Hill, A. B. (1965) · Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine · doi:10.1177/003591576505800503 · Cited by 6,974
Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality: A Meta-Analytic Review
Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., Baker, M., Harris, T., & Stephenson, D. (2015) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691614568352 · Cited by 6,043
Self-citationSuicide: A Study in Sociology.
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Shankar, A., McMunn, A., Banks, J., & Steptoe, A. (2011) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0022826 · Cited by 1,100
Advancing social connection as a public health priority in the United States.
Holt-Lunstad, J., Robles, T. F., & Sbarra, D. A. (2017) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/amp0000103 · Cited by 978 · cited 1×
“1; Holt-Lunstad, 2018; Holt-Lunstad et al., 2017).”
Self-citationThe neuroendocrinology of social isolation
Cacioppo, J. T., Cacioppo, S., Capitanio, J. P., & Cole, S. W. (2015) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015240 · Cited by 977
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Holt‐Lunstad, J. (2022) · Annual Review of Public Health · doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-052020-110732 · Cited by 642
Holt‐Lunstad, J. (2024) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.21224 · Cited by 541
The impact of generative artificial intelligence on socioeconomic inequalities and policy making
Capraro, V., Lentsch, A., Acemoglu, D., Akgun, S., Akhmedova, A., Bilancini, E., Bonnefon, J.-F., Brañas-Garza, P., Butera, L., Douglas, K. M., et al. (2024) · PNAS Nexus · doi:10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae191 · Cited by 371
Social media use, social displacement, and well-being
Hall, J. A., & Liu, D. (2022) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101339 · Cited by 195
The Role of Immune Cells in Oxi-Inflamm-Aging
de Toda, I. M., Ceprián, N., Cerro, E. D., & la Fuente, M. D. (2021) · Cells · doi:10.3390/cells10112974 · Cited by 124
Metadata
- Authors
- Holt-Lunstad, J.
- Affiliations
- Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University
- Venue
- Current Directions in Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2021-06
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 251-259
- ISSN
- 0963-7214 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-8721
- OpenAlex
- W3175046625
- Cited by
- 273
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 59 · 2025: 86 · 2024: 53 · 2023: 39 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 9
- FWCI
- 17.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Current Directions in Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Keywords
- social connectedness, interpersonal relationships, mortality risk, morbidity, social disconnection, social determinants of health, causal mechanisms, Bradford Hill criteria, social isolation, public health interventions
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