The “timbre” of loneliness in later life

The body of empirical research on loneliness among older adults goes back over half a century (Munnichs, 1964), but the past decade has seen an uptick in attention in the professional and lay-press, as well as government and public policy circles (Levine, 2018; United States Senate Special Commitee on Aging, 2020). The triggers or social focus of loneliness may vary from a longing for relationships that do not (yet) exist to grief for relationships that have fundamentally changed or are no longer available. [...]the emotional distress of loneliness can be experienced as any combination of unpleasant feelings such as anxiety, sadness, resentment/anger, or despair. The ubiquity of such changes with advancing age would seem to place older adults at increased risk for social isolation and loneliness, but empirical data show a more complex relationship between age and loneliness. Empirical research has consistently shown that, despite declines in physical functioning, older adults report higher levels of well-being and mental health compared to middle-aged and younger adults (Thomas etal., 2016; Mather, 2012).