Americans 60 and older spend about half their waking hours alone, and for those who have no partner, “alone time rises to over 10 hours a day,” according to the federal government.
A Pew Research Center analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data found that some 73 million older adults are alone for great portions of the day, and suggested that it has a negative impact on health.
“While time spent alone is not necessarily associated with adverse effects, it can be used as a measure of social isolation, which in turn is linked with negative health outcomes among older adults,” said Pew.
“Medical experts suspect that lifestyle factors may explain some of this association – for instance, someone who is socially isolated may have less cognitive stimulation and more difficulty staying active or taking their medications. In some cases, social isolation may mean there is no one on hand to help in case of a medical emergency,” added the analysis.
Generally, the study said that adults 60 and older spend seven hours alone a day. Those living alone spend 10 hours to themselves.
By comparison, said Pew, “those in their 40s and 50s spend about 4 hours and 45 minutes alone, and those younger than 40 spend about three and a half hours a day alone, on average. Moreover, 14% of older Americans report spending all their daily measured time alone, compared with 8% of people younger than 60.”
