The first study of U.S. adults suggests that not all strangers you befriend on social media help you feel less lonely.
In fact, connecting with people you don’t know in person on social media can actually make you feel more lonely, according to scientists at Oregon State University.
In a nationally representative study of more than 1,500 adults ages 30 to 70, connecting with people you know in real life online was not associated with increased feelings of loneliness, but it was also not associated with decreased feelings of loneliness.
The findings suggest that “people experiencing loneliness may want to critically examine their interactions with strangers on social media and prioritize in-person connections over social media connections, even when those connections are considered intimate,” said study leader Brian Primack.
This research today public health report; Official Journal of the United States Public Health Service. Primack, a professor at the OSU College of Health, said officials became deeply concerned about loneliness after then-Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s 2023 report on the nation’s loneliness epidemic.
The Surgeon General’s report notes that even before the coronavirus outbreak, nearly half of American adults reported measurable levels of loneliness, and that lack of connection poses a health risk comparable to smoking.
People who often feel lonely are more than twice as likely to develop depression. It can also increase your risk of heart disease by 29%. 32% increased risk of stroke. 50% increased risk of developing dementia (in older adults). and a 60% or more chance of premature death.
The study by Primack, two fellow OSU faculty members, and two graduate students is a step toward filling gaps in knowledge about social media’s role in loneliness. Most previous studies have focused on teenagers and young adults, Primack said, but this study focused on middle-aged and older adults.
This gap in the literature is important because 75% of the U.S. population is non-teenagers and young adults, who are frequently exposed to social media, and many of the downstream health effects of loneliness become more severe as adulthood progresses. ”
Brian Primack, OSU College of Health Professor
Overall, the researchers note, about 35% of the study group’s social media contacts were people they had never met in person. They believe that one reason why interacting with “strangers” on social media is associated with loneliness is because social media is more likely to foster misunderstandings.
“We know that social media interactions can lead to idealization of friendships between strangers, which can exacerbate the effects of social comparison,” said study co-author Jessica Gorman. “This idealization can be more powerful when the friendship involves people who have never met because there is no personal experience to counter that idealization.”
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Reference magazines:
Primac, B.A. others. (2026). Intimacy of social media contact and loneliness among U.S. adults: A nationally representative study. public health report. DOI: 10.1177/00333549261443288. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00333549261443288
