The Impact of Loneliness and Social Isolation on Cognitive Aging: A Narrative Review
Open accessAbstract
Social concepts such as loneliness and social isolation are fairly new factors that have been recently gaining attention as to their involvement in changes in cognitive function and association with dementia. The primary aim of this narrative review was to describe the current understanding of how loneliness and social isolation influence cognitive aging and how they are linked to dementia. Studies have shown that there is an association between loneliness, social isolation, and reduced cognitive function, in older adults, across multiple cognitive domains, as well as a heightened risk of dementia. Numerous changes to underlying neural biomechanisms including cortisol secretion and brain volume alterations (e.g., white/grey matter, hippocampus) may contribute to these relationships. However, due to poor quality research, mixed and inconclusive findings, and issues accurately defining and measuring loneliness and social isolation, more consistent high-quality interventions are needed to determine whether studies addressing loneliness and social isolation can impact longer term risk of dementia. This is especially important given the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social isolation in older people is yet to be fully understood.
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CBT helps individuals with GAD identify and modify maladaptive or catastrophic thinking patterns, promotes more balanced cognitive appraisals, and reduces anxiety severity.
“CBT helps individuals identify and modify maladaptive or catastrophic thinking pa erns, promotes more balanced cognitive appraisals, and reduces anxiety severity [103,104].”
From Pre-Sleep Anxiety: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Approaches in Clinical Practice. (2026) · cites this paper as [103]
The INTERVENTIONS TO ENHANCE SOCIAL CONNECTION section discusses addressing maladaptive social cognition to reduce loneliness, not CBT for generalized anxiety disorder. The MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES section describes cognitive deficits associated with anxiety but does not say that CBT changes thinking patterns or reduces anxiety severity. Searches for CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy, and catastrophic thinking found no passage addressing the attributed claim. (LLM, conf=0.76)
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“This finding has been replicated by other studies [50, 51].”
ResultCOVID-19 and loneliness: A rapid systematic review
Pai, N. B., & Vella, S. (2021) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/00048674211031489 · Cited by 133 · cited 2× · see citing works
“It is important to note that many studies investigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic either focused primarily on mental health impacts or global health outcomes [37, 77, 83, 85], and oftentimes cognition was a secondary outcome [86, 87, 89].”
BackgroundYin, J., Lassale, C. M., Steptoe, A., & Cadar, D. (2019) · International Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/ije/dyz085 · Cited by 130 · cited 5× · see citing works
“Hence, it is crucial to consider how these multiple factors interact when attempting to understand the phenomena of cognitive decline, as mental disorders could account for some of the variance in cognition [2].”
BackgroundInfluentialNoguchi, T., Saito, M., Aida, J., Cable, N., Tsuji, T., Koyama, S., Ikeda, T., Osaka, K., & Kondo, K. (2021) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045834 · Cited by 130 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Social isolation has also been significantly associated with depression onset [99, 100]; however, there has been far less commentary on this relationship.”
BackgroundSuárez-González, A., Rajagopalan, J., Livingston, G., & Alladi, S. (2021) · EClinicalMedicine · doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.101047 · Cited by 130 · see citing works
Salinas, J., Beiser, A. S., Samra, J. K., O'Donnell, A., DeCarli, C. S., Gonzales, M. M., Aparicio, H. J., & Seshadri, S. (2022) · Neurology · doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000200039 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Current Status of Cognitive Remediation for Psychiatric Disorders: A Review
Kim, E. J., Bahk, Y.-C., 오현주, Lee, W.-H., Lee, J.-S., & Choi, K. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00461 · Cited by 124 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Akin to their symptomatologic similarities, mental health disorders, loneliness, and social isolation also share negative outcomes on cognitive function and are associated with an elevated risk of cognitive decline [9, 17, 102, 103].”
BackgroundLuchetti, M., Terracciano, A., Aschwanden, D., Lee, J. H., Stéphan, Y., & Sutin, A. R. (2020) · International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/gps.5304 · Cited by 123 · cited 2× · see citing works
“[53] who found no increase in feelings of loneliness com-”
BackgroundIncident Dementia in a Defined Older Chinese Population
Chen, R., Hu, Z., Wei, L., Ma, Y., Liu, Z., & Copeland, J. R. M. (2011) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0024817 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
Lieberwirth, C., Liu, Y., Jia, X., & Wang, Z. (2012) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.03.005 · Cited by 119 · cited 1× · see citing works
“The impact of social isolation on female adult prairie vole neurology has also been investigated [128].”
BackgroundSchnittger, R. I. B., Wherton, J., Prendergast, D., & Lawlor, B. A. (2012) · Aging & Mental Health · doi:10.1080/13607863.2011.629092 · Cited by 119 · cited 1× · see citing works
“, SES, rurality, other health conditions) [56], or failing to consider possible gender differences within the sample [57].”
BackgroundHeidinger, T., & Richter, L. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.585308 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
Loneliness and depressive symptoms: the moderating role of the transition into retirement
Segel‐Karpas, D., Ayalon, L., & Lachman, M. E. (2016) · Aging & Mental Health · doi:10.1080/13607863.2016.1226770 · Cited by 116 · cited 2× · see citing works
“, shopping, appointments, family visits) [16, 30], it is important to investigate the impact of these emergency measures on loneliness, social isolation, and cognitive function.”
BackgroundLazzari, C. G., & Rabottini, M. (2021) · International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice · doi:10.1080/13651501.2021.1959616 · Cited by 116 · cited 2× · see citing works
“In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown mandates in 2020 and 2021, social isolation became the living norm and an integral strategy to limit the spread of the virus [31, 32].”
BackgroundButters, M. A., Bhalla, R. K., Andreescu, C., Wetherell, J. L., Mantella, R. C., Begley, A. E., & Lenze, E. J. (2011) · The British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.110.090217 · Cited by 115 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Anxiety disorders have been characterized by similar cognitive deficits to working memory, delayed memory [106], executive function [108], processing speed, inhibition, and problem solving [109].”
BackgroundIdentifying Living Arrangements That Heighten Risk for Loneliness in Later Life
Greenfield, E. A., & Russell, D. (2010) · Journal of Applied Gerontology · doi:10.1177/0733464810364985 · Cited by 113 · cited 1× · see citing works
“This has been corroborated by other studies, including a US investigation of a national sample of older adults, who found living alone was associated with greater loneliness among men than women [42].”
ResultNeurobiology of Loneliness, Isolation, and Loss: Integrating Human and Animal Perspectives
Vitale, E. M., & Smith, A. S. (2022) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2022.846315 · Cited by 112 · cited 1× · see citing works
“A great part of our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms of social isolation is based on animal studies, due to invasive techniques and ethical considerations when examining human cohorts [126].”
BackgroundStructural brain correlates of loneliness among older adults
Düzel, S., Drewelies, J., Gerstorf, D., Demuth, I., Steinhagen-Thiessen, E., Lindenberger, U., & Kühn, S. (2019) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-019-49888-2 · Cited by 111 · cited 1× · see citing works
“These include abnormal grey and white matter distributions within the prefrontal cortex [116], hippocampus and amygdala [121], posterior superior temporal cortex [116, 122], and increased cerebral white matter volume [123].”
BackgroundStress and dementia: the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
Magri, F., Cravello, L., Barili, L., Sarra, S., Cinchetti, W., Salmoiraghi, F., Micale, G., & Ferrari, E. (2006) · Aging Clinical and Experimental Research · doi:10.1007/bf03327435 · Cited by 110 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Furthermore, heightened cortisol secretion has been associated with deleterious effects on the brain such as neurodegeneration [119], which is notable given higher cortisol levels have been observed in dementia patients [118].”
BackgroundCoping with being cooped up: Social distancing during COVID-19 among 60+ in the United States
Emerson, K. G. (2020) · Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública · doi:10.26633/rpsp.2020.81 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
Care for ageing populations globally
Longevity, T. L. H. (2021) · The Lancet Healthy Longevity · doi:10.1016/s2666-7568(21)00064-7 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Ballantyne, A., Trenwith, L., Zubrinich, S., & Corlis, M. (2010) · Quality in Ageing and Older Adults · doi:10.5042/qiaoa.2010.0526 · Cited by 102 · cited 1× · see citing works
“However, it has been noted that a number of participants withdrew from these studies as they felt that learning how to use a computer was too difficult [146, 147].”
BackgroundVandervoort, D. J. (2000) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-000-1017-5 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
Nuyen, J., Tuithof, M., de Graaf, R., van Dorsselaer, S., Kleinjan, M., & ten Have, M. (2019) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-019-01778-8 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
Joyce, J., Ryan, J. L., Owen, A. J., Hu, J., Power, J. M., Shah, R. C., Woods, R. L., Storey, E., Britt, C. J., Freak‐Poli, R., et al. (2021) · International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/gps.5644 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Huang, H.-J., Liang, K., Ke, H.-C., Chang, Y.-Y., & Hsieh‐Li, H. M. (2010) · Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2010.11.043 · Cited by 94 · cited 1× · see citing works
“For instance, a study investigated the impact of long-term social isolation on APP/PS1 transgenic mice in relation to environmental and genetic characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) [127].”
BackgroundLobo, A., López‐Antón, R., De‐la‐Cámara, C., Quintanilla, M. Á., Campayo, A., Saz, P., & Workgroup, Z. (2008) · Neurotoxicity Research · doi:10.1007/bf03033815 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Why Loneliness Interventions Are Unsuccessful: A Call for Precision Health
Akhter‐Khan, S. C., & Au, R. (2020) · Advances in Geriatric Medicine and Research · doi:10.20900/agmr20200016 · Cited by 89 · cited 2× · see citing works
“This is particularly important when selecting the most appropriate and effective programs, so the individual can be matched to the most suited intervention based on their goals or needs [148, 149].”
BackgroundRisk factors of loneliness across the life span
Hutten, E., Jongen, E. M. M., Hajema, K., Ruiter, R. A. C., Hamers, F. J. M., & Bos, A. E. R. (2021) · Journal of Social and Personal Relationships · doi:10.1177/02654075211059193 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Elovainio, M., Lahti, J., Pirinen, M., Pulkki-Råback, L., Malmberg, A., Lipsanen, J., Virtanen, M., Kivimäki, M., & Hakulinen, C. (2022) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053936 · Cited by 85 · cited 1× · see citing works
“A recent cohort study using the UK Biobank investigated how loneliness and social isolation differently contribute to genetic risk for dementia [62].”
BackgroundAuthor Response: Associations of Social Isolation and Loneliness With Later Dementia
Shen, C., & Feng, J. (2022) · Neurology · doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000201564 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Freak-Poli, R., Wagemaker, N., Wang, R., Lysen, T. S., Ikram, M. A., Vernooij, M. W., Dintica, C. S., Vernooij-Dassen, M., Melis, R. J. F., Laukka, E. J., et al. (2022) · Journal of Alzheimer's Disease · doi:10.3233/jad-210330 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Lonergan, M. E., & Chalmers, J. D. (2020) · European Respiratory Journal · doi:10.1183/13993003.01483-2020 · Cited by 78 · cited 1× · see citing works
“In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown mandates in 2020 and 2021, social isolation became the living norm and an integral strategy to limit the spread of the virus [31, 32].”
BackgroundMorton, T. A., Wilson, N., Haslam, C., Birney, M., Kingston, R., & McCloskey, L.-G. (2018) · Journal of Aging and Health · doi:10.1177/0898264316664440 · Cited by 67 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Some studies have provided training in using technology and online programs to boost the confidence of older people when using the technology [142, 145].”
BackgroundThe effectiveness of interventions addressing loneliness in older persons: An umbrella review
Jarvis, M. A., Padmanabhanunni, A., Balakrishna, Y., & Chipps, J. A. (2019) · International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.ijans.2019.100177 · Cited by 67 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Existing intervention studies have been criticized for how they attempted to define and operationalize loneliness and social isolation, which was associated with heterogeneity [27, 143].”
BackgroundBrain Structural and Functional Changes in Cognitive Impairment Due to Alzheimer’s Disease
Ávila‐Villanueva, M., Dolado, A. M., Gómez‐Ramírez, J., & Fernández‐Blázquez, M. A. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.886619 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Does Poverty Increase the Risk of Social Isolation? Insights Based on Panel Data from Germany
Eckhard, J. (2018) · Sociological Quarterly · doi:10.1080/00380253.2018.1436943 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Social Isolation in Dementia: The Effects of COVID-19
Curelaru, A., Marzolf, S. J., Provost, J.-C. K. G., & Zeon, H. H. H. (2021) · The Journal for Nurse Practitioners · doi:10.1016/j.nurpra.2021.05.002 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Raymond, É., Sévigny, A., Tourigny, A., Vézina, A., Verreault, R., & Guilbert, A. C. (2012) · Ageing and Society · doi:10.1017/s0144686x11001152 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Powell, V. D., Kumar, N., Gałecki, A. T., Kabeto, M. U., Clauw, D. J., Williams, D. A., Hassett, A. L., & Silveira, M. J. (2022) · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1111/jgs.17796 · Cited by 62 · cited 1× · see citing works
“tom cluster of pain, fatigue, and depression [98],”
BackgroundGender differences in the correlates of loneliness among Japanese persons aged 50–70
van den Broek, T. (2017) · Australian Journal on Ageing · doi:10.1111/ajag.12448 · Cited by 60 · cited 1× · see citing works
“A cross-sectional analysis of Japanese older adults found that loneliness was more prevalent among men, and that living alone has a greater association with loneliness for men compared to women [41].”
BackgroundDepression, Social Isolation, and the Lived Experience of Dancing in Disadvantaged Adults
Murrock, C. J., & Graor, C. H. (2015) · Archives of Psychiatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.apnu.2015.10.010 · Cited by 57 · cited 1× · see citing works
“iety [91], hence, are considered risk factors [92,”
BackgroundSocial isolation undermines quality of life in older adults
Moreno-Tamayo, K. M., Manrique-Espinoza, B. S., Ramírez‐García, E., & Sánchez‐García, S. (2019) · International Psychogeriatrics · doi:10.1017/s1041610219000310 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Dura-Perez, E., Goodman‐Casanova, J. M., Vega-Núñez, A., Guerrero-Pertiñez, G., Moreno, E. V., Garolera, M., Quintana, M., Cuesta‐Vargas, A., Barnestein‐Fonseca, P., Sánchez-Lafuente, C. G., et al. (2021) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/30598 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Montoliu, T., Hidalgo, V., & Salvador, A. (2019) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.05.024 · Cited by 55 · cited 4× · see citing works
“A commonly explored biomechanism of loneliness is the biological stress response and association with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis [55].”
BackgroundResultInfluentialThe Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Cognition of People with Dementia
Tondo, G., Sarasso, B., Serra, P., Tesser, F., & Comi, C. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18084285 · Cited by 47 · cited 2× · see citing works
“fied by Tondo and colleagues [82] examined Italian”
BackgroundDomènech‐Abella, J., Mundó, J., Lara, E., Moneta, M. V., Haro, J. M., & Olaya, B. (2017) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-017-1406-9 · Cited by 46 · cited 2× · see citing works
“This finding has been replicated by other studies [50, 51].”
BackgroundResultPuma, D. D. L., Piacentini, R., & Grassi, C. (2021) · Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnmol.2020.578211 · Cited by 45 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Deficits in adult neurogenesis (particularly within the hippocampus) have been linked to cognitive impairments and has been implicated with AD risk and development [129].”
BackgroundDefinition, and Epidemiology of Dementia: A Review
Henderson, A. S., & Jorm, A. F. (2000) · doi:10.1002/0470842350.ch1 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Nogueira, J., Gerardo, B., Silva, A. R., Pinto, P., Barbosa, R., Soares, S., Baptista, B., Paquete, C., Cabral-Pinto, M., Vilar, M. M., et al. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-021-01747-y · Cited by 41 · cited 1× · see citing works
“It is important to note that many studies investigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic either focused primarily on mental health impacts or global health outcomes [37, 77, 83, 85], and oftentimes cognition was a secondary outcome [86, 87, 89].”
BackgroundNyberg, J., Henriksson, M., Wall, A., Vestberg, T., Westerlund, M., Walser, M., Eggertsen, R., Danielsson, L., Kuhn, H. G., Åberg, N. D., et al. (2021) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-021-03618-z · Cited by 41 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Anxiety disorders have been characterized by similar cognitive deficits to working memory, delayed memory [106], executive function [108], processing speed, inhibition, and problem solving [109].”
BackgroundRegional variation in social isolation amongst older Australians
Beer, A., Faulkner, D., Law, J., Lewin, G. F., Tinker, A., Buys, L. R., Bentley, R., Watt, A. M., McKechnie, S., & Chessman, S. (2016) · Regional Studies Regional Science · doi:10.1080/21681376.2016.1144481 · Cited by 38 · cited 1× · see citing works
“of elderly Australians are socially isolated [66, 67].”
Nowland, R. A., Robinson, S. J., Bradley, B. F., Summers, V., & Qualter, P. (2018) · Scandinavian Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/sjop.12461 · Cited by 38 · cited 1× · see citing works
“orders, psychiatric disorders) [52, 114], which may”
Longitudinal analysis of the impact of loneliness on cognitive function over a 20-year follow-up
Wang, H., Lee, C. Y., Hunter, S., Fleming, J., Brayne, C., & The CC75C Study Collaboration (2019) · Aging & Mental Health · doi:10.1080/13607863.2019.1655704 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Is Loneliness a Cause or Consequence of Dementia? A Public Health Analysis of the Literature
Victor, C. R. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.612771 · Cited by 36 · cited 8× · see citing works
“suggested by [22], to ensure a degree of control”
BackgroundInfluentialGreig, F., Perera, G., Tsamakis, K., Stewart, R. J., Velayudhan, L., & Mueller, C. (2021) · International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/gps.5630 · Cited by 34 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Other investigations into the ramifications of lockdown restrictions have yielded mixed results, with some supporting the aforementioned changes in cognition following the lockdowns [83, 84], while others contrasting these findings [85, 86].”
BackgroundResultWorking to Address the Loneliness Epidemic: Perspective-Taking, Presence, and Self-Disclosure
King, M. D. (2018) · American Journal of Health Promotion · doi:10.1177/0890117118776735c · Cited by 33 · cited 2× · see citing works
“To combat the ‘loneliness epidemic’ [20, 21, 24],”
BackgroundMcDowell, C. P., Meyer, J. D., Russell, D. W., Brower, C. S., Lansing, J. E., & Herring, M. P. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.738892 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
The Long-Term Public Health Impact of Social Distancing on Brain Health: Topical Review
Kumar, A., & Salinas, J. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18147307 · Cited by 21 · cited 1× · see citing works
“These include abnormal grey and white matter distributions within the prefrontal cortex [116], hippocampus and amygdala [121], posterior superior temporal cortex [116, 122], and increased cerebral white matter volume [123].”
BackgroundIsaac, V., Cheng, X., Townsin, L., Assareh, H., Li, A. S., & McLachlan, C. S. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18189501 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Webber, C., Myran, D. T., Milani, C., Turcotte, L., Imsirovic, H., Li, W., & Tanuseputro, P. (2022) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.2022.17214 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Gerontechnology Companion: Virutal pets for dementia patients
Machesney, D., Wexler, S. S., Chen, T., & Coppola, J. F. (2014) · IEEE Long Island Systems, Applications and Technology Conference (LISAT) · doi:10.1109/lisat.2014.6845226 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
O’Rourke, H. M., Sidani, S., Jeffery, N., Prestwich, J., & McLean, H. (2020) · International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances · doi:10.1016/j.ijnsa.2020.100009 · Cited by 12 · cited 1× · see citing works
“One study assessed the effectiveness of personal contact interventions in addressing loneliness in people diagnosed with dementia [150].”
Loneliness Among the Elderly: a Mini Review
Grover, S. (2022) · Consortium Psychiatricum · doi:10.17816/cp143 · Cited by 12 · cited 2× · see citing works
“associations with health outcomes [9, 10], yet have”
BackgroundBrain volumes in relation to loneliness and social competence in preadolescents born very preterm
Lind, A., Salomäki, S., Parkkola, R. K., Haataja, L. M., Rautava, P. T., Junttila, N., Koikkalainen, J. R., Lötjönen, J. M. P., Saunavaara, V., Korja, R., et al. (2020) · Brain and Behavior · doi:10.1002/brb3.1640 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
A Genetically Informed Longitudinal Study of Loneliness and Dementia Risk in Older Adults
Kim, A. J., Gold, A. I., Fenton, L. E., Pilgrim, M. J. D., Lynch, M. E., Climer, C. R., Penichet, E. N., Kam, A., & Beam, C. R. (2021) · Frontiers in Genetics · doi:10.3389/fgene.2021.661474 · Cited by 7 · cited 1× · see citing works
“also failed to establish a link between loneliness and dementia risk in older adults [68].”
Background
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Designing Social Robots with LLMs for Engaging Human Interaction
Pinto-Bernal, M. J., Biondina, M., & Belpaeme, T. (2025) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app15116377 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
He, C. Y. Y., Zhou, Z., Kan, M. M. P., Chan, D. H. Y., Wong, A. C. T., Mok, K. H. Y., Lam, F. M. H., Chan, S. C. C., Cheung, C. K. C., Yeung, M. K. C., et al. (2024) · Ageing Research Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.arr.2024.102350 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Peleg, O., & Boniel‐Nissim, M. (2024) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-55560-1 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
“One study found that individuals who have difficulties establishing clear boundaries between “self” and “other” and engage in emotionally detached relationships with parents are more susceptible to parent-related loneliness 24 .”
BackgroundHuman–robot interactions and experiences of staff and service robots in aged care
Chira, V. A. M., Miller, E., Martin, L., & Caldwell, G. A. (2025) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-86255-w · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Ye, L., Bally, E., Korenhof, S. A., Fierloos, I. N., Borrás, T. A., Clough, G. W., Raat, H., & van Grieken, A. (2024) · Age and Ageing · doi:10.1093/ageing/afae210 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Contador, I., Buch-Vicente, B., del Ser, T., Velasco, S. L., Villarejo‐Galende, A., Benito‐León, J., & Bermejo‐Pareja, F. (2024) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm13144100 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
“According to some researchers, the feeling of loneliness rather than the social network size determines the increased dementia risk [274].”
BackgroundAnderson, G. (2023) · Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark · doi:10.31083/j.fbl2812355 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“Oxytocin is popularly associated with social processes/bonding/cognition [166], with social isolation being a susceptibility and accelerating factor in Alzheimer’s disease [167].”
BackgroundEnvironmental pesticide exposure and Alzheimer's disease in southern Spain: A cross-sectional study
Ruiz‐González, C., Román, P., Rueda‐Ruzafa, L., Cardona, D., Requena, M., & Alarcón, R. (2024) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115932 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Gautam, S., Poudel, A., Khatry, R. A., & Mishra, R. (2024) · BMC Geriatrics · doi:10.1186/s12877-024-05461-9 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
“There is evidence linking loneliness to negative social interaction perceptions, negative cognitive schemas, anticipation of social threat or rejection, elevated stress levels, decreased self-esteem, and biological impacts on inflammation and the stress response [11, 38].”
BackgroundNg, T. K. S., Beck, T. L., Dennis, K., Desai, P., Krueger, K. R., Dhana, K., Wilson, R. S., Evans, D. A., & Rajan, K. B. (2025) · The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer s Disease · doi:10.1016/j.tjpad.2024.100046 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Htun, H. L., Teshale, A. B., Sun, H., Ryan, J. L., Owen, A. J., Woods, R. L., Shah, R. C., Chong, T. T. ‐., & Freak‐Poli, R. (2025) · International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/gps.70065 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
“While the reasons for these differential associations remain unclear [40], it is plausible that these factors do not directly cause dementia pathology but instead contribute to an earlier onset of cognitive symptoms, such as cognitive impairments.”
Warren, A. (2025) · Stress · doi:10.1080/10253890.2025.2594067 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
“Given the limited methodological rigor, inconsistent findings, and ongoing challenges in defining and measuring loneliness and social isolation, there is a clear need for more consistent, high-quality intervention research (Guarnera et al., 2023).”
The health consequences of loneliness
Rokach, A., & Patel, K. (2024) · Environment and Social Psychology · doi:10.54517/esp.v9i6.2150 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
“Guarnera et al. [126] pointed out that loneliness stimulates a biological stress response which is expressed in cortisol dysfunction, that leads, over time, to poor health outcomes such as inflammation or metabolic disorders [124,127] .”
BackgroundMamedova, D. I., Nedogreeva, O. A., Манолова, А. О., Ovchinnikova, V. O., Kostryukov, P. A., Лазарева, Н. А., Moiseeva, Y. V., Tret’yakova, L. V., Kvichansky, A. A., Onufriev, M. V., et al. (2024) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-79677-5 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Social Isolation Induces Changes in the Monoaminergic Signalling in the Rat Medial Prefrontal Cortex
Csikós, V., Dóra, F., Láng, T., Darai, L., Szendi, V., Tóth, A., Cservenák, M., & Dobolyi, Á. (2024) · Cells · doi:10.3390/cells13121043 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“Long-term (4–6 weeks) adult social isolation is a model of depression [21–24] and has also been linked to alterations in cognitive functioning [25,26].”
BackgroundResolving a paradox: antidepressants, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration
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Emerging Role of Mesenchymal Stromal Cell and Exosome Therapies in Treating Cognitive Impairment
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“These findings support previous reviews 25,28 , which suggest that loneliness and social isolation during the pandemic may exacerbate cognitive deterioration due to stress and changes in neurobiological mechanisms, such as increased cortisol secretion and its detrimental effects on brain health.”
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“This often leads to isolation and may exacerbate their vulnerability, exposing them to criminal or abusive situations (Guarnera et al. 2023).”
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“…are important, as chronic loneliness is linked to negative health outcomes, including higher blood pressure (Hawkley et al., 2009), reduced physical and cognitive engagement (Guarnera et al., 2023), and an increased risk of physical and mental illness as well as mortality (Barton et al., 2024).”
Sharma, V., Masoud, S. S., Sangdahl, C. E., Davila, A., Avery, R. Z., & Garza-Parker, C. D. L. (2025) · Journal of Primary Care & Community Health · doi:10.1177/21501319251388298 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
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Prevalence of Subjective Cognitive Decline Among Older Multiracial Adults, 2019–2023
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“Given growing evidence linking stress, isolation, and loneliness to increased risk of cognitive aging and Alzheimer ’ s disease and related dementias (Guarnera et al., 2023; Luchetti et al., 2024), these studies ’ results point to the importance of systematically surveilling and examining cognitive…”
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Is Intimate Partner Violence a Risk Factor for Alzheimer’s Disease?
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Social Isolation as a Risk Factor for Dementia: Insights from Animal Model Studies
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“70,71 Most of the prior evidence for associations were found between social isolation and cognitive function, not with ADRD biomarkers.”
Understanding Brain Aging and Cognitive Decline
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“Guarnera et al. have elucidated from numerous studies that both "social isolation," referring to the objective separation from others, and "loneliness," a subjective feeling, are associated with cognitive decline and an increased risk of dementia [25].”
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“21,39 Fourth, given the cross-sectional nature of the study design, the possibility of reverse causation, in which poor cognitive function may increase HP, should be considered.”
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“Aging individuals with limitations in basic and instrumental daily activities are at higher risk of dementia and lower cognitive function 48 and, as such, are more prone to loneliness.”
Single-session volunteering reduces loneliness in older adults: immediate and long-term effects
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- Authors
- Guarnera, J., Yuen, E., & Macpherson, H.
- Affiliations
- Deakin University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Macpherson, Helen
- Venue
- Journal of Alzheimer's Disease Reports
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2023-06-13
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 699-714
- ISSN
- 2542-4823 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC10357115
- OpenAlex
- W4380991065
- Cited by
- 161
- References
- 136
- Citations by year
- 2026: 69 · 2025: 67 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 1
- FWCI
- 7.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Alzheimer s Disease Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- National Health and Medical Research Council
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Keywords
- loneliness, social isolation, cognitive aging, dementia risk, older adults, cognitive function, cortisol, brain volume, hippocampus, gray and white matter, COVID-19 pandemic, social intervention
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
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