Current smokers report significantly higher loneliness levels than non-smokers, according to a Europe-wide study presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Barcelona. Researchers analyzed data from more than 50,000 people across 15 countries participating in the Survey of Health and Ageing in Europe, measuring loneliness using the UCLA loneliness scale and following participants over two years.
The study found that current smokers were lonelier than non-smokers even after accounting for factors such as age and gender, and experienced larger increases in loneliness over time. The pattern held broadly consistent across European regions, with limited variation between countries. Average participant age was 67, with 22 percent reporting current smoking at the study's start.
Dr. Keir Philip, a clinical lecturer in respiratory medicine at Imperial College London who presented the findings, said the results challenge the common perception that smoking is a social activity. Philip noted that while previous research had suggested loneliness leads to smoking, little research had examined whether smoking leads to loneliness. Smoking-related illnesses may limit mobility and restrict access to social activities, he suggested, while smoking bans in public places could also reduce opportunities for social interaction among smokers.
Philip said changing public narrative around smoking is essential. "Smoking is not social; our research shows it leads to increased social isolation and loneliness," he stated, calling for greater awareness of smoking's psychosocial impacts alongside its well-documented physical health effects.
Professor Des Cox, a clinical professor at University College Dublin who was not involved in the research, called the findings important for public health messaging. Cox noted that with loneliness recognized as a major public health challenge, the research identifies smoking as a significant risk factor for which effective treatments exist, underscoring the need to support smokers in quitting.
