What eases loneliness, which depends less on how many people you see

Key takeaways

• Loneliness is the painful gap between the relationships you want and the ones you have, so you can feel it in a crowd or feel fine living alone¹⁷.
• A World Health Organization commission estimated in 2025 that loneliness accounts for about 871,000 deaths a year, and it found loneliness most common among teens and young adults¹³.
• In a review of 50 studies, approaches that changed how lonely people read social situations worked better than simply adding chances to meet people⁷.
• In an OpenAI-funded preprint study of 981 adults, people who chatted longest with ChatGPT each day reported more loneliness, though the study can’t show which came first⁹.
• In one large trial, treating hearing loss helped older adults keep about one more person in their social circle over three years, a modest gain¹⁰.

In a study released in 2025, 981 U.S. adults completed an unusual assignment. Researchers at the MIT Media Lab and OpenAI, the company that makes ChatGPT, asked them to chat with the bot every day for four weeks⁹.

Some typed. Some talked to it by voice. Some got prompts about personal topics, some got impersonal ones, and some chatted about anything they liked⁹.

How they chatted made no significant difference to loneliness. How long they chatted did. Across every version, the more minutes people logged with the bot each day, the lonelier they said they felt, and the less they socialized with real people⁹.

That finding comes with big caveats, covered below. But it points to an old truth with a new twist. Contact alone doesn’t cure loneliness, whether it comes from a screen, a crowd or a busy calendar.

Here is what loneliness is, why health agencies now treat it as a health risk, and what research says helps, from rethinking social fears to getting your hearing checked.

Loneliness is a feeling, and isolation is a fact

Researchers keep two ideas apart. Social isolation means having very few relationships or seeing people rarely. Loneliness is the painful sense that your relationships fall short of what you want or need¹.

A 2020 National Academies report on older adults put it simply: isolation is objective, loneliness is subjective⁴. Because one is a fact and the other a feeling, they don’t always travel together.

That means a busy parent in a full house can feel lonely, while someone who lives alone can feel content. Loneliness tracks the quality of relationships more than their number⁷.

Both matter for health. In a 2015 review, Brigham Young University researchers led by Julianne Holt-Lunstad pooled studies published from 1980 to 2014⁶. Isolation, loneliness and living alone were each linked to higher odds of dying early⁶.

Two details stand out. The feeling of loneliness predicted early death about as well as being cut off did⁶.

And the link was stronger in groups whose average age was under 65⁶. Loneliness is not only an older person’s problem.

A global health problem that young people feel most

In June 2025, the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Connection released its flagship report. It estimated that about 1 in 6 people worldwide are lonely¹.

The commission linked loneliness to about 871,000 deaths a year, or roughly 100 every hour¹³. That figure is an estimate. Spain’s Science Media Centre listed the report as not peer reviewed, and none of the summaries we read explained how the number was calculated². WHO’s own news release describes the deaths as linked to loneliness, which is not the same as proof of cause³.

The surprise was who feels it most. It wasn’t the oldest people. Between 17% and 21% of people aged 13 to 29 reported feeling lonely, with teenagers highest, WHO said³. In low-income countries, about 24% did, roughly twice the rate in high-income countries³.

Older adults face a different version of the problem: isolation. Up to 1 in 3 older adults worldwide are socially isolated, WHO estimates³. In the U.S., about a quarter of people 65 and older living in the community are isolated, the National Academies found⁴.

Loneliness and isolation are linked to heart disease and stroke, dementia, depression, anxiety and suicide⁵. For U.S. survey figures, see our articles on whole-person health and on why people join wellness groups.

Few governments have acted. Only eight WHO member countries had adopted policies on social connection or loneliness, the commission reported¹.

Lonely minds expect rejection, and that’s the part to target

Most people assume the fix for loneliness is more social contact. The research says that’s only part of it.

University of Chicago researchers led by Christopher Masi reviewed 50 studies of loneliness programs, in a paper published in 2011⁷. They sorted the programs into four types: building social skills, adding support, creating chances to meet people, and changing unhelpful social thinking⁷.

Less rigorous studies showed bigger effects. But among the 20 randomized trials, where people are assigned by chance to a program or a comparison group, the best results came from changing unhelpful social thinking⁷. Pooled together, the trials showed a small but significant drop in loneliness, and cognitive behavioral therapy was especially effective⁸. Group programs did no better than one-on-one ones⁸.

Why would thinking matter so much? Loneliness seems to put the mind on alert for social threat⁷. Lonely people tend to expect rejection, blame themselves when things go badly, and act in ways that make rejection more likely⁷. That can create a loop that confirms the original fear.

Programs of this kind often taught people to treat automatic negative thoughts as guesses to test, not facts⁷. Lead author Masi said researchers were learning “that it’s more of a cognitive issue and is subject to change”⁸.

Newer reviews agree, and the evidence is still thin

In 2020, two members of the National Academies committee summarized its look at programs for older adults⁵. The committee found 92 published and 48 unpublished programs. Most were weakly designed and didn’t target the loneliest people⁵.

The programs that seemed to work were aimed squarely at loneliness, grounded in theory, and active rather than passive⁵. Cognitive behavioral and mindfulness approaches reduced loneliness in some studies⁵.

One trial is worth knowing. For homebound, lonely older adults, five weeks of remotely delivered behavioral activation, which means planning and doing meaningful activities, beat friendly remote visits for loneliness⁵. Befriending programs, where a volunteer visits or calls, can reduce isolation, but early studies didn’t measure their effect on loneliness⁷.

No medicine has evidence for treating loneliness⁵.

For older adults, hearing may be the hidden doorway

The National Academies listed hearing and vision loss among the risk factors that can directly cause isolation⁴. If you can’t follow the dinner conversation, you may stop going to dinner.

The ACHIEVE trial tested whether treating hearing loss helps. Researchers randomly assigned 977 adults aged 70 to 84 with untreated hearing loss to hearing care or a health education program¹⁰. Hearing care meant four visits with an audiologist, plus hearing aids and counseling¹⁰.

Over three years, both groups’ circles shrank. Those who got hearing care went from about 22.6 to 21.3 people they were in regular contact with. The comparison group went from 22.3 to 19.8¹⁰.

That works out to about one extra person kept in their lives¹⁰. Loneliness scores also improved slightly compared with the other group. But the authors judged that change too small to matter clinically¹⁰. These were exploratory findings from a secondary analysis, and the trial was funded by National Institutes of Health grants¹⁰¹¹.

There are catches. Hearing aids and audiology care cost about $4,700 on average, usually paid out of pocket, and trial participants got more audiologist time than most people do¹¹. Most participants were White¹¹.

Still, if you or a parent has started skipping gatherings because conversation is hard, a hearing check is a sensible first step⁴¹⁰.

Chatbots and AI companions: comfort with a catch

Back to the MIT and OpenAI study. Of 2,539 people who enrolled, 981 completed the four weeks⁹. They were asked to chat at least five minutes a day, and they averaged a little over five⁹.

The style of chat, text or voice, personal or not, made no significant difference to loneliness⁹. But the more time people spent chatting each day, the lonelier they reported feeling, the less they socialized with people, and the more emotional dependence on the bot they reported⁹. People who saw the chatbot as a friend tended to fare worse, an early finding that needs testing⁹.

Read the fine print:

• Who paid. OpenAI funded the research, and four of the eleven authors work for OpenAI⁹.
• Its status. It’s a preprint, a paper shared publicly before peer review. The version we read was revised in October 2025⁹.
• What it can’t show. There was no group that skipped the chatbot, and people chose how long to chat, so the study can’t prove the bot caused loneliness⁹. Lonelier people may simply chat more, though starting loneliness didn’t predict later use⁹.
• Who was studied. English-speaking U.S. adults using one product⁹.

The National Academies warned in 2020 that technology which is hard to use or replaces human contact may worsen loneliness⁴. A chatbot may ease a hard evening. Use it as a bridge to people, not a substitute for them.

Pets: loving company, mixed evidence

Pets feel like obvious medicine for loneliness. The research is less clear than the love.

A 2022 review of 24 studies looked at pet ownership, loneliness and isolation¹². Among six studies of adults before the pandemic, four found no link, one found pet owners lonelier, and one found dog owners less lonely¹². Studies during the pandemic leaned more favorable for adults, but one study of young people found pet owners lonelier¹².

All of the studies were observational, and all came from wealthy countries¹². Dogs and cats looked about the same where they were compared¹².

Pets do bring other gifts. A review of 62 sources on older pet owners pointed to more physical activity and better well-being¹³. It also flagged real downsides: grief when a pet dies and the risk of falls¹³.

A dog may give your day a shape and an excuse to say hello to neighbors. Just don’t expect a pet to stand in for people.

What the evidence says

Claim	Evidence level	What it rests on
Loneliness and isolation are linked to earlier death	Strong evidence (for a link)	Many long-term studies6; WHO estimate1
Changing unhelpful social thinking eases loneliness	Promising but early	Best results among 20 trials, but few tested this78
Just adding chances to meet people eases loneliness	Not enough evidence	Few trials, small effects7
Behavioral activation helps homebound older adults	Promising but early	One trial5
Befriending reduces loneliness	Not enough evidence	Reduces isolation; loneliness rarely measured7
Hearing care helps older adults stay connected	Promising but early	One large trial; small effects10
Pets reduce loneliness	Not enough evidence	24 observational studies, mixed12
Heavy chatbot use eases loneliness	Not enough evidence	Heavier use tracked with more loneliness9
A medicine can treat loneliness	Not enough evidence	No drug has support5

Your connection plan

Natural health trusts the basics: real food, movement, sleep, fresh air. Connection belongs on that list. Many things readers already love, such as walking groups, community gardens, herb circles and faith gatherings, are ready-made places to practice it.

This plan is our own, built from the research above. It pairs regular contact with the thinking skills that did best in trials.

1. One weekly anchor. Choose something at the same time each week with the same people: a class, a volunteer shift, a service, a Sunday phone call. Repetition turns strangers into familiar faces.

2. One small daily contact. Send a text, greet a neighbor by name, or chat with the person at the farm stand. Small moments count, and they keep social muscles warm.

3. One new-group try each month. Go at least three times before you decide. First visits are often awkward.

4. Notice the thought traps. After each contact, compare what you feared with what happened. These four traps are common:

Thought trap	Sounds like	Test it
Mind reading	“They didn’t text back, so they’re tired of me.”	List three other reasons they might be quiet.
Fortune telling	“If I go, nobody will talk to me.”	Go for 20 minutes and count who speaks to you.
Self-blame	“That was awkward because I’m boring.”	Awkward moments take two people. Did they seem to mind?
All or nothing	“My best friend moved, so I have no one.”	Name anyone you’ve talked with this week.

A reaching-out script

Many people wait to be invited. Try being the one who asks. Keep it short, warm and easy to answer:

• An old friend: “I thought of you today and realized it’s been too long. Want to catch up by phone this week? No pressure if things are busy.”
• A newer acquaintance: “I enjoyed talking with you at class. Want to grab coffee after next week’s session?”
• Family: “I’ve been feeling a bit disconnected lately. Could we set up a regular call, maybe Sunday afternoons?”
• If they say no: “No problem, maybe another time.” Then ask someone else. One no is information, not a verdict.

When loneliness needs more than a plan

Loneliness isn’t a mental illness, but it can travel with one. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) advises professional help when severe symptoms last two weeks or more¹⁴. These include feeling hopeless or worthless, losing interest in things you enjoy, and changes in sleep, appetite or weight¹⁴. Therapy can help, and cognitive behavioral therapy had some of the best results for loneliness⁸.

Some signs call for help right away. NIMH lists talking about being a burden or wanting to die, feeling trapped or empty, withdrawing from friends, and giving away important things¹⁵.

If you or someone you know is in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or chat at 988lifeline.org, any time of day¹⁴. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911¹⁴.

Questions readers ask

The bottom line

Loneliness is a feeling about the gap between the connection you want and the connection you have. It is common, it is linked to serious health risks, and it hits young adults as well as older ones.

The best evidence says the fix is steady, meaningful contact plus a habit of questioning the fearful thoughts loneliness produces.

Fix what blocks connection, such as hearing loss. Treat chatbots and pets as companions to human ties, not replacements. And if loneliness has turned into hopelessness, reach out to a professional or to 988.

Keep exploring: social support.

Related reading

• People come to wellness groups for answers and stay for belonging
• Online health groups offer reach, while in-person groups have stronger evidence
• Most of your health is shaped outside the exam room
• AI chatbots pass medical exams, yet people using them don’t diagnose better
• The right kind of help beats more help, and giving it counts too

Sources

1. World Health Organization. “WHO Commission on Social Connection.” WHO, 2025. who.int
2. Science Media Centre Spain. “One in six people worldwide suffered loneliness in the last decade” (expert reactions to the WHO Commission report). SMC Spain, 2025. sciencemediacentre.es
3. World Health Organization. “Social connection linked to improved health and reduced risk of early death.” News release, June 30, 2025. who.int
4. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. “Health Care System Underused in Addressing Social Isolation, Loneliness Among Seniors, Says New Report.” News release, 2020. nationalacademies.org
5. Donovan NJ, Blazer D. “Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Review and Commentary of a National Academies Report.” American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2020. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
6. Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Baker M, Harris T, Stephenson D. “Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: A meta-analytic review.” Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2015. psychologicalscience.org
7. Masi CM, Chen HY, Hawkley LC, Cacioppo JT. “A Meta-Analysis of Interventions to Reduce Loneliness.” Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2011. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
8. University of Chicago. “Addressing negative thoughts most effective in fighting loneliness.” UChicago News, 2010. news.uchicago.edu
9. Fang CM, Liu AR, Danry V, et al. “How AI and Human Behaviors Shape Psychosocial Effects of Extended Chatbot Use: A Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Study.” arXiv preprint (MIT Media Lab and OpenAI; funded by OpenAI), 2025. arxiv.org
10. Reed NS, Chen J, Huang AR, et al. “Hearing Intervention, Social Isolation, and Loneliness: A Secondary Analysis of the ACHIEVE Randomized Clinical Trial.” JAMA Internal Medicine, 2025;185(7):797–806 (University of South Florida record). healthscholars.usf.edu
11. NYU Langone Health. “Addressing Hearing Loss May Reduce Isolation Among the Elderly.” Press release, 2025. biospace.com
12. Kretzler B, König HH, Hajek A. “Pet ownership, loneliness, and social isolation: a systematic review.” Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2022. link.springer.com
13. Obradović N, Lagueux É, Michaud F, Provencher V. “Pros and cons of pet ownership in sustaining independence in community-dwelling older adults: a scoping review.” Ageing & Society, 2020. cambridge.org
14. National Institute of Mental Health. “My Mental Health: Do I Need Help?” NIH, revised 2025. nimh.nih.gov
15. National Institute of Mental Health. “Warning Signs of Suicide.” NIH, revised 2025. nimh.nih.gov