U.S. study suggests pandemic didn’t increase loneliness as drastically as feared

The American Psychological Association suggests the 5% increase in loneliness during the pandemic wasn't as great as expected but it cautions that any increase can still have long-term health implications and needs to be followed more closely. It notes that while social isolation was caused by lockdowns and physical distancing, this isn’t a one-to-one correlation with loneliness. The study explains a person can be socially isolated and not lonely, depending on their support systems and sense of self, just as they can be socially connected and still experience significant loneliness. Loneliness constitutes a risk for premature mortality and mental and physical health and the research notes more needs to be done to identify factors that drive loneliness, as well as who is more at risk. Meanwhile, a SFU study showed rates of depression and loneliness increased among older adults during the pandemic.