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VanderWeele TJ, Hawkley LC, Cacioppo JT. On the reciprocal association between loneliness and subjective well-being. Am J Epidemiol. 2012;176(9):777-84doi: 10.1093/aje/kws173.
VanderWeele, T. J., Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2012). On the reciprocal association between loneliness and subjective well-being. American journal of epidemiology, 176(9), 777-84. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kws173
VanderWeele, Tyler J, et al. "On the reciprocal association between loneliness and subjective well-being." American journal of epidemiology vol. 176,9 (2012): 777-84. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kws173
VanderWeele TJ, Hawkley LC, Cacioppo JT. On the reciprocal association between loneliness and subjective well-being. Am J Epidemiol. 2012 Nov 01;176(9):777-84. doi: 10.1093/aje/kws173. Epub 2012 Oct 16. PMID: 23077285; PMCID: PMC3571255.
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Am J Epidemiol. 2012 Nov 01;176(9):777-84. doi: 10.1093/aje/kws173. Epub 2012 Oct 16.

On the reciprocal association between loneliness and subjective well-being.

American journal of epidemiology

Tyler J VanderWeele, Louise C Hawkley, John T Cacioppo

Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. [email protected]

PMID: 23077285 PMCID: PMC3571255 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kws173

Abstract

Loneliness has been shown to longitudinally predict subjective well-being. The authors used data from a longitudinal population-based study (2002-2006) of non-Hispanic white, African-American, and nonblack Latino-American persons born between 1935 and 1952 and living in Cook County, Illinois. They applied marginal structural models for time-varying exposures to examine the magnitude and persistence of the effects of loneliness on subjective well-being and of subjective well-being on loneliness. Their results indicate that, if interventions on loneliness were made 1 and 2 years prior to assessing final subjective well-being, then only the intervention 1 year prior would have an effect (standardized effect = -0.29). In contrast, increases in subjective well-being 1 year prior (standardized effect = -0.26) and 2 years prior (standardized effect = -0.13) to assessing final loneliness would both have an effect on an individual's final loneliness. These effects persist even after control is made for depressive symptoms, social support, and psychiatric conditions and medications as time-varying confounders. Results from this study indicate an asymmetrical and persistent feedback of fairly substantial magnitude between loneliness and subjective well-being. Mechanisms responsible for the asymmetry are discussed. Developing interventions for loneliness and subjective well-being could have substantial psychological and health benefits.

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