Beat the midlife loneliness epidemic

Almost one in three Australians feels lonely, one in six "severely", and middle-aged women are most impacted. What's behind this crisis and how is loneliness affecting our health and quality of life?

- SARAH MARINOS

The world is experiencing a loneliness epidemic.

Even in the biggest and busiest cities, people are feeling socially isolated. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says loneliness is "a pressing health threat" and has launched the Commission on Social Connection to bring people together. The commission includes former US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy, who believes that, in terms of impacts on our health, loneliness is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. "Loneliness and isolation represent profound threats to our health and wellbeing," he says.

This epidemic has also gripped Australian cities, suburbs and country communities. Relationships Australia's Relationship Indicators Report 2024 found that 5.1 million people often feel lonely. Similarly, Ending Loneliness Together, a network of organisations addressing the problem, says almost one in three people feel lonely, and that young people (aged 18 to 24) and middle-aged people (aged 45 to 54) are most at risk.

The impacts of isolation

The physical and mental toll of loneliness is significant. It increases our risk of developing dementia by up to 50 per cent and our risk of early death by 25 per cent, says WHO. It raises the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease by up to 30 per cent and significantly increases the odds of developing depression.

For middle-aged women, the impacts are even more severe, according to world-first research from the University of Sydney. For the first time, researchers have established a causal link between loneliness and early mortality for women in midlife.

The research, based on data from more than 57,000 women, finds middle-aged women who feel lonely for an extended period of time are three times more likely to die early than those who don't feel lonely.