In a world where we’re constantly connected and communicating, it’s not always easy to understand the difference between being alone and feeling lonely. Researchers at the University of Arizona decided to take a closer look, and they found that these two things are actually quite separate.

According to their study, people don’t start feeling lonely until they’ve spent about 75% of their time alone. But once they cross that 75% mark, loneliness becomes more likely.

The study also pointed out that this connection between being alone and feeling lonely is particularly strong among older adults. As people get older, their social circles tend to shrink, and it becomes harder for them to spend time with others.

“We are learning more and more about the importance of social connections for human health, and it appears that loneliness and isolation are related but distinct concepts,” the researchers explain.

Measuring social activity

They go on to say that we (society) need a better way of understanding how time we spend alone, so they developed a tool, known as the Electronically Activated Recorder, or EAR, which is a smartphone app that records the sounds we make for 30 seconds every 12 minutes.

The study’s data reveals that, on the whole, the participants spent approximately 66% of their time in solitude. Intriguingly, those who found themselves alone for more than 75% of their time were the ones most susceptible to feelings of loneliness. When we consider the entire group of participants, the overlap between being alone and feeling lonely was remarkably small, accounting for just 3%.

For the younger cohort, being alone and feeling lonely emerge as distinct experiences. In their case, loneliness can creep in even when surrounded by a multitude, or conversely, they may not experience loneliness in moments of solitude.

An older problem

However, the dynamics shift significantly for older adults. In this demographic, the connection between feeling lonely and being alone is notably stronger. For them, socializing and being with others become crucial strategies to ward off the pangs of loneliness. This robust association becomes particularly prominent in individuals aged 67 and older, where there is a substantial overlap of around 25% between the states of loneliness and aloneness.

The research harnessed the collective insights of over 400 participants, drawing upon archival data gleaned from a series of studies conducted over the past two decades.

“For instance, we know if the person is on the phone, if they are driving, watching television, or if they are interacting with a partner or a stranger,” the researchers conclude.