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loneliness

This shows a teen alone in a dark room with a cell phone, surrounded by emojis.

·September 9, 2025·5 min read

Loneliness Drives Teens to Seek Rewards

A new study reveals that adolescents are highly sensitive to even brief periods of social isolation, showing a sharp increase in motivation to seek rewards after just a few hours alone. This heightened drive can encourage reconnection but may also lead to risky behaviors if social contact isn’t available.

This shows a person listening to music with the outline of other people in the background.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 30, 2025·6 min read

Music Sparks Social Imagination and Eases Loneliness

A large-scale study with 600 participants shows that music can genuinely evoke feelings of companionship by sparking social imagination. When participants listened to folk music, they imagined vivid social scenes such as being with friends, even when lyrics were removed.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 21, 2025·5 min read

Why Loneliness Hurts More When You’re Poor

A new study across 20 European countries shows that people in the lowest income brackets are significantly more likely to feel lonely than those with higher incomes, even though they socialize just as often. Loneliness was closely tied to a cluster of defensive symptoms—pain, fatigue, and low mood—which were especially severe among the poor.

Featured Neuroscience Pain Psychology

·May 20, 2025·6 min read

Depression May Signal Chronic Pain Years Before It Starts

Middle-aged and older adults who experience chronic pain often show worsening symptoms of depression up to eight years before the pain begins. A large-scale study found that depressive symptoms and loneliness increased long before pain onset, suggesting mental health may play a causal role in later physical discomfort.

This shows a person reading and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 19, 2025·5 min read

Reading Fiction Boosts Empathy and Fights Loneliness

While AI companions are marketed as a fix for loneliness, research shows that reading offers far more meaningful benefits. Reading fiction can foster social connection, reduce stress, enhance empathy, and even reshape brain activity linked to social cognition.

This shows an older woman sitting alone.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 15, 2025·4 min read

Loneliness Linked to 24% Higher Risk of Hearing Loss

A new study tracking nearly half a million participants over 12 years has revealed a strong, independent link between loneliness and an increased risk of hearing loss. Even after adjusting for genetic risk, health conditions, and lifestyle factors, lonely individuals had a 24% higher chance of developing hearing loss, especially sensorineural types.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 13, 2025·8 min read

Can Hearing Aids Ease Loneliness? New Study Says Yes

A new study shows that providing hearing aids and personalized audiology care helps older adults maintain social connections, reducing feelings of loneliness over time. Participants who received hearing interventions retained more diverse and meaningful relationships than those given only general healthy aging guidance.

This shows a person sitting alone on a bench.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 23, 2025·6 min read

Middle-Aged Americans Are the Loneliest, Global Study Finds

A large international study has found that middle-aged Americans report higher levels of loneliness than older adults, a pattern seen in only one other country—the Netherlands. While loneliness generally increases with age globally, the U.S. stands out as an exception, with factors like unemployment, caregiving burdens, and lack of social support systems driving middle-aged isolation.

This shows a woman sitting alone on a bench.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 8, 2025·5 min read

Loneliness Triples Risk of Early Death in Middle-Aged Women

A new study has revealed a causal link between chronic loneliness and early mortality in middle-aged women. Researchers analyzed data from over 15 years of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health and found that persistent loneliness increased the risk of death threefold.

This shows the outline of a head surrounded by people.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 6, 2025·5 min read

Social Connections Key to Borderline Personality Disorder Therapy

Loneliness plays a central role in borderline personality disorder (BPD) and often persists even when clinical symptoms subside. Current treatments, such as dialectical behavior therapy, fail to fully address social integration, which is crucial for long-term recovery.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 9, 2024·5 min read

Older Adults Still Struggle with Loneliness and Isolation Post-Pandemic

Over one-third of Americans aged 50 to 80 continue to experience loneliness, and nearly as many feel socially isolated, even as rates return to pre-pandemic levels. Older adults with poor physical or mental health, lower incomes, or those not working remain disproportionately affected.

This shows a woman sitting alone with a mug of tea.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 3, 2024·3 min read

Alone Time Helps Reduce Holiday Stress

46% of Americans don’t get enough alone time during the holiday season, even though 56% say it’s crucial for their mental health. Taking brief moments alone can help the nervous system settle, reducing stress and improving well-being during this busy time.