Evidence base
University of Bristol and Nature Communications
Loneliness Strongly Linked to Poorer Mental Health and Wellbeing
What it found
A collaboration between the University of Bristol, Nesta, and Amsterdam UMC, published in Nature Communications, found that loneliness and social isolation are strongly linked to poorer mental health, reduced wellbeing, and worse general health.
Why it matters for practice
This adds to the evidence base establishing loneliness as a determinant of health outcomes, which matters for anyone building the case for social connection interventions to funders or health commissioners. The findings describe association, not mechanism or intervention effect, so they should be read as motivation for action rather than evidence of what works.