Loneliness is an increasingly pressing problem. Indeed, we’re living in the midst of what Noreena Hertz refers to as the “lonely century”. The implications of this are outlined in recent research from the University of Exeter, which shows how loneliness can affect our employment prospects.

The researchers build on previous work, which has shown that unemployment can result in loneliness, but they wanted to explore whether the opposite also applies. The researchers found that when people report feeling lonely pretty often, they were also far more likely to experience unemployment down the line.

“Given the persisting and potentially scarring effects of both loneliness and unemployment on health and the economy, prevention of both experiences is key,” the authors explain. “Decreased loneliness could mitigate unemployment, and employment abate loneliness, which may, in turn, relate positively to other factors including health and quality of life.”

Increasing isolation

This has been particularly pressing during the pandemic, where forced isolation was a factor for many, coupled with significant increases in working from home and reductions in socializing opportunities.

“Thus, particular attention should be paid to loneliness with additional support from employers and government to improve health and well-being,” the researchers continue. “Our research was largely conducted pre-pandemic, however we suspect this issue may be even more pressing, with more people working from home and potentially experiencing isolation because of anxieties around COVID.”

The researchers analyzed data from around 15,000 people who had participated in the Understanding Society Household Longitudinal Study.

“Loneliness is an incredibly important societal problem, which is often thought about in terms of the impact on mental health and well-being only,” the researchers explain. “Our findings indicate that there may also be wider implications, which could have negative impacts for individuals and the economy.”

They hope that their work will shed some light on the very real societal impacts of loneliness and the economic implications so that policymakers can begin to develop interventions to address this growing issue.