UK researchers find new twist to age, gender and culture in predicting loneliness
A joint study carried out by the University of Exeter (Exeter), the University of Manchester (Manchester) and Brunel University London (Brunel) have found that younger individuals, men and people in “individualistic” societies report higher levels of loneliness – as opposed to the previously held notion that loneliness is a predicament unique to older people. Their study, based on responses from more than 46,000 participants from 237 countries, islands and territories around the world, showed several unexpected results.
Based on ages of participants, the results show a steady decrease in loneliness as people age; a young man living in an individualistic society – such as the UK or the US – is also more likely to report feeling lonely than an older woman in a collectivist society – such as China or Brazil.
Exeter’s Professor Manuela Barreto noted younger people report greater feelings of loneliness despite beingbetter able to use technology to access social relationships. “Loneliness stems from the sense that one’s social connections are not as good as desired, possibly due to the different expectations younger and older people hold. However, the age pattern we discovered seems to be true across many countries and cultures.”
With regards to gender, the existing evidence is mixed, but, admitting to feeling ‘lonely’ can be especially stigmatising for men in most societies. Professor Pamela Qualter, from Manchester, admitted, “When this word is not used in the measures, men sometimes report more loneliness than women. This is indeed what we found.”
In addition, it can be argued that admitting to feeling lonely is also more stigmatising in individualistic societies, where people are expected to be self-reliant and autonomous, according to Professor Barreto. “This is particularly important because culture can affect actual and desired social interactions in opposite directions.”
Following the unprecedented analysis into loneliness – which may be amplified in light of the COVID-19 pandemic – Professor Barreto said particular attention should be paid to how social changes will affect young people. She insists that, regardless of young people’s technological prowess, replacing social relationships in such a way does not mitigate loneliness.
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