Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42544718›Full record

ArticlePsychological medicine2026

The dynamic interplay between loneliness and health behaviors from adolescence to midlife: A Norwegian population-based cohort study.

Libor Potočár, Laura Cachón Alonso, Michal Kozák, Rubén Rodríguez-Cano, Tomáš Formánek, Tilmann von Soest

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In one paragraph

Article in Psychological medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Libor PotočárPROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0009-0001-6064-0267
Laura Cachón AlonsoDepartment of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Michal KozákPROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-5799-9922
Rubén Rodríguez-CanoPROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Tomáš FormánekDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-6740-6860
Tilmann von SoestPROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-5576-2059

Funding

Norges Forskningsråd 288083Norges Forskningsråd 301010
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAdverse health behaviors, such as physical inactivity and smoking, constitute a potential pathway connecting loneliness to poor mental and physical health. No prior study has investigated the dynamic interplay between loneliness and a broad range of health behaviors across the first half of life.

methodsWe used data from a Norwegian population-based cohort study (

resultsLoneliness in adolescence was associated with lowered physical exercise (mean difference: -14.13 minutes/week, 95% CI: -26.54 to -1.72), and loneliness during young adulthood was linked to increased BMI (0.37 points, 0.12-0.63). In the reverse direction, moderate alcohol use (-0.07 SD, -0.13 to -0.01 and - 0.19 SD, -0.33 to -0.05), smoking (-0.12 SD, -0.23 to -0.01), and moderate physical exercise (-0.16 SD, -0.26 to -0.07 and - 0.07 SD, -0.14 to -0.01) during adolescence and emerging adulthood were linked to reduced loneliness. All other associations were consistent with a null effect.

conclusionsOur results provide limited support for the causal effects of loneliness on health behaviors across the first half of life. By contrast, findings in the reverse direction suggest that health behaviors in young people - whether health-promoting or risky - are socially embedded and may facilitate socializing. To tackle youth loneliness, public health policies should promote equitable access to health-promoting behaviors.

Indexed as

Alcohol DrinkingExerciseHealth BehaviorLonelinessSmokingAdolescentAdultBody Mass IndexCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNorwayProspective StudiesYoung Adultadolescencealcohol usebody mass indexhealth behaviorslonelinessmidlifephysical exercisesmoking

Identifiers

PMID42544718
PMCPMC13439249

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.