Smoking is widely portrayed as a social habit – a cigarette shared outside a bar, during a break, or while chatting with friends. But new research suggests that the habit may be associated with the opposite effect: greater loneliness and social isolation.
A large European study presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Barcelona found that people who currently smoked reported higher levels of loneliness than non-smokers. Researchers also found that smokers experienced greater increases in loneliness over time.
Also read: India’s Passive Smoking Crisis: Deaths Surge 50% Since 1990, Lancet Finds
Smokers lack companionship
Researchers analysed data from more than 50,000 people across 15 European countries who participated in the Survey of Health and Ageing in Europe (SHARE). The average participant was 67 years old, and researchers assessed loneliness using the UCLA loneliness scale, which considers feelings such as lacking companionship, feeling left out and feeling isolated.
About 22 per cent of participants were smokers when the study began. After accounting for factors including age, gender and participants’ baseline loneliness, current smokers still reported greater loneliness than non-smokers. Smokers also showed larger increases in loneliness at follow-up two years later. Importantly, the findings show an association, not definitive proof that smoking directly causes loneliness.
Researchers say more work is needed to understand the mechanisms involved.
Why is smoking linked to loneliness?
One possible explanation is the effect of smoking-related illness on mobility and everyday activities. Chronic respiratory and cardiovascular problems can make it harder for people to move around, attend social events, or participate in activities with family and friends.
Smoking policies and changing social norms may also play a role. Smoke-free workplaces, public areas and homes can make it more difficult for smokers to socialize in environments where smoking once provided a reason to gather. However, these factors do not fully explain the association, and researchers are continuing to investigate the relationship.
Loneliness is more than an emotional issue
The health consequences of loneliness and social isolation can extend far beyond feeling alone. The World Health Organization says social isolation and loneliness are linked with poorer physical and mental health, reduced quality of life and premature death.
WHO also notes that tobacco damages nearly every organ in the body and is a major cause of cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke and respiratory illness. There is no safe level of tobacco exposure. This makes the new findings particularly relevant because smoking may affect health through more than its well-established physical effects.
Is ‘social smoking’ really social?
The research challenges the idea that cigarettes necessarily help people connect. Experts say there is evidence that the concept of smoking as a social activity should be reconsidered, while emphasizing the importance of supporting smokers without stigmatizing them.
Quitting smoking can therefore offer benefits that extend beyond reducing the risk of lung cancer, heart disease and chronic respiratory disease. Breaking nicotine dependence may also remove a habit that can contribute to barriers around social participation.
Smoking remains one of the most important preventable causes of disease, while loneliness is increasingly recognized as a major public-health concern. This new European research adds another possible dimension to the risks of smoking, suggesting that smokers may experience greater loneliness and increasing social isolation over time.
