Social Isolation and Loneliness Trigger Chronic Inflammation Across the Lifespan
Does loneliness cause inflammation?
Yes. Social isolation is robustly associated with elevated chronic inflammation, with childhood isolation predicting inflammation decades later in adulthood. A multi-cohort investigation of 8,473 participants across three studies found that socially isolated individuals had 24% higher suPAR levels (a marker of chronic inflammation) compared to those not isolated, with effects persisting from childhood into mid-adulthood.
Social isolation works by triggering chronic stress responses that dysregulate immune function, leading to systemic inflammation that becomes biologically embedded over time, particularly affecting the suPAR biomarker which reflects chronic rather than acute inflammation.