³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾

Middle-aged Americans are lonelier than their European counterparts. That’s the , published in American Psychologist.

Our study identified a trend that has been evolving for multiple generations, and affects both baby boomers and Gen Xers. Middle-aged adults in England and Mediterranean Europe are not that far behind the U.S. In contrast, middle-aged adults in continental and Nordic Europe reported the lowest levels of loneliness and stability over time.

We used survey data drawn from over 53,000 middle-aged adults from the U.S. and 13 European nations from 2002 to 2020. We tracked their reported changes in loneliness every two years across the midlife years of 45 to 65. This span provided us data from the so-called silent generation of people born between 1937 and 1945; baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964; and members of Generation X, born between 1965 and 1974.

Our study makes clear that middle-aged Americans today are experiencing more loneliness than their peers in European nations. This coincides with existing evidence that for working-age adults in the U.S.

We focused on middle-aged adults for several reasons. Middle-aged adults form the backbone of society by constituting . But they also face increasing challenges today, notably greater demands for support from both their .

Following the Great Recession from late 2007 to 2009, middle-aged adults in the U.S. reported compared to same-aged peers in the 1990s. Compared to several European nations, U.S. middle-aged adults currently report and higher rates of .

Why it matters

The desire to belong is an . When this is lacking, it can have downstream consequences.

Loneliness is . Researchers have found that loneliness is . Loneliness increases one’s vulnerability to .

Loneliness is considered a global public health issue. The U.S. surgeon general released an documenting an epidemic of loneliness and a pressing need to increase social connection. Other nations, such as , have appointed ministers of loneliness to ensure relationships and loneliness are considered in policymaking.

What still isn’t known

Why are middle-aged Americans exceptional when it comes to loneliness and poorer overall mental and physical health?

We did not directly test this in our study, but in the future we hope to zero in on the factors driving these trends. We think that the loneliness Americans are reporting compared to peer nations comes down to limited social safety nets and to cultural norms that prioritize individualism over community.

Individualization carries psychological costs, such as reductions in social connections and support structures, . Relative to the other nations in our study, Americans have , which is associated with weak social and community ties.

One of the reasons why we chose countries from across Europe is that they differ dramatically from the U.S. when it comes to social and economic opportunities and social safety nets. likely increase one’s loneliness through undermining one’s ability to meet basic needs. likely lessen midlife loneliness through reducing financial pressures and work-family conflict, as well as addressing health and gender inequities.

Our findings on loneliness in conjunction with previous studies on life expectancy, health, well-being and cognition suggest that being middle-aged in America is a risk factor for poor mental and physical health outcomes.

The is a short take on interesting academic work.

Frank J. Infurna receives funding from the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Institute on Aging (Grant number: R01 AG079523).