Face-to-face contact is associated with greater reductions in feelings of loneliness among older adults.
- Face-to-face contact is more likely to help reduce levels of loneliness among older adults.
- Older people who feel lonely are more likely to turn to friends and family.
- However, face-to-face contact with someone with whom they have weak ties reduces feelings of loneliness more than a call with a loved one.
Telepresence, telephone services, social networks… we are multiplying services to help elderly people stay at home. But a study from the University of Texas at Austin reminds us that new technologies must not make us forget the human aspect.
The researchers have, in fact, demonstrated that face-to-face contact reduces the feeling of loneliness of older people more than other methods of exchange (SMS, telephone, email, etc.). Their work was presented in the journal The Journals of Gerontology: Series B Psychological Science, August 28, 2024.
Face-to-face contact more effective in reducing loneliness
Depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, cardiovascular diseases, loneliness increases the risk of many pathologies, especially among seniors. The researchers wanted to determine which types of social contacts best combat this feeling.
To do this, they followed more than 300 people over the age of 65. The team asked them to rate their level of loneliness and their social interactions every three hours for 5 or 6 days. Participants were asked whether the contacts were in person, by phone or via social networks.
“We found that when older adults feel lonely, they are more likely to pick up the phone and call someone. But in-person visits are the only type of contact that actually decreases reported levels of loneliness.”explains Shiyang Zhang, co-author of the study in a press release of his establishment.
Remote contact does not offer the same comfort
The scientists then wanted to know whether the nature of the connection with the interlocutor was important during exchanges. They found that when older people felt lonely, they were likely to turn to friends and family.
However, face-to-face contact, even with someone with whom the senior had only weak ties, reduced levels of loneliness more than a phone call with a loved one.
“Although telephone contact is available most of the time and provides older adults with opportunities for social interaction when they are lonely, it appears that telephone contact is not as effective in reducing loneliness as in-person contact.”adds Shiyang Zhang.“Telephone and digital contact do not provide older adults with the same emotional closeness and comfort that in-person contact does. It is simply not a substitute.”warns the expert.
