Lonely in a crowd: investigating the association between overcrowding and loneliness using smartphone technologies

• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03398-2
• Publication Date: 2021-12-20T11:13:41Z
• Authors: Ryan Hammoud; Stefania Tognin; Ioannis Bakolis; Daniela Ivanova; Naomi Fitzpatrick; Lucie Burgess; Michael Smythe; Johanna Gibbons; Neil Davidson; Andrea Mechelli
• Keywords: Overcrowding; Association (psychology); Social Isolation

Loneliness is a major public health concern with links to social and environmental factors. Previous studies have typically investigated loneliness as stable emotional state using retrospective cross-sectional designs. Yet people experience different levels of throughout the day depending on their surrounding environment. In present study, we associations between factors (i.e. overcrowding, population density, inclusivity contact nature) in real-time. Ecological momentary assessment data was collected from participants Urban Mind smartphone application. Data 756 who completed 16,602 assessments April 2018 March 2020 were used order investigate feeling loneliness, environment inclusivity, density) built multilevel modelling. Increased overcrowding density associated higher loneliness; contrast, nature lower loneliness. These remained significant after adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, education occupation. The positive association more pronounced when nature, indicating an interaction changes relation both Our findings potential implications strategies interventions aimed at reducing burden society. Specific measures, which would increase inclusion while should be implemented, especially densely populated cities.