The Effect of Loneliness on Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from the UK Household Longitudinal Study 2017–2021

Abstract

Although loneliness is associated with lower levels of subjective well-being, little is known about the precise nature of this association. Theoretical arguments have indicated a negative effect of loneliness on well-being, but there are alternative explanations, such as the possibility that chronically unhappy people select themselves into loneliness. This study investigates whether loneliness is detrimental to subjective well-being by considering selection as a competing explanation. The analyses were based on three waves of panel data from Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study (2017–2021, containing 85,083 observations from 31,223 individuals aged 16 to 103 years). Subjective well-being was measured using a single item capturing life satisfaction. Loneliness was measured both directly using a single item and indirectly using the three-item UCLA Loneliness Scale. First, pooled ordinary least squares (POLS) models were estimated to confirm previous cross-sectional findings. Subsequently, fixed-effects (FE) models were used to account for the possibility that chronically unhappy people select themselves into loneliness. The results of the POLS models showed that lonely people reported significantly lower levels of life satisfaction. This association persisted in the FE model, and the remaining association can be interpreted as evidence of the negative effect of loneliness on well-being. Further analyses showed that the results were similar for men and women and for younger and older people. Moreover, the results were remarkably robust across the two measures of loneliness and model specifications. Overall, the results support the claim that loneliness is detrimental to well-being. Thus, intervention strategies aimed at reducing loneliness may also be effective in improving well-being in the general population.