What Reduces Loneliness? What the Evidence Shows
A 2026 meta-analysis of 280 studies found loneliness interventions work on average, but not always the ones people expect. What helps, how much, and for whom.
A 2026 meta-analysis of 280 studies found loneliness interventions work on average, but not always the ones people expect. What helps, how much, and for whom.
The 50 per cent figure everyone quotes is an average across measures that disagree. Across 90 cohorts and 2.2 million adults, social isolation raised mortality risk 32 per cent and loneliness 14 — and every improvement in method makes the number smaller.