Smoking is said to be a source of loneliness and social isolation.

Older smokers are more likely to be alone, have fewer social interactions, and participate in fewer cultural and social activities than non-smokers, according to a British study. These findings undermine the image of smoking as a convivial environment long maintained by the tobacco industry.

Various studies have already pointed out that loneliness and social isolation can be factors that increase smoking. A British study now shows that this link can be bidirectional and that smoking can exacerbate loneliness and social isolation, at least among those over 50.

Fewer social interactions

The team of English researchers relied on a longitudinal study on the effects of age spanning twelve years and punctuated by four data collection points, at 4, 8 and 12 years after the launch of the study.[1]Data concerning the health status, but also the social life of the participants and their smoking status were collected and cross-referenced, based on 8,780 people aged 50 and over.

Consistent with other studies, the results indicated that smokers were less educated than non-smokers, had lower incomes, were more often unemployed, and more often depressed. However, the longitudinal study showed that they also had fewer social interactions, were less frequently engaged in community or cultural activities, and lived alone more frequently, all signs of loneliness and social isolation. Smokers' social contacts appear to be reduced over time, with the 52-65 age group being the most affected. Male smokers were more often isolated than women, but smoking did not appear to have an influence on the evolution of the structure of the The study did not find the notions of conviviality and social facilitator that have long been emphasized in tobacco advertisements.

Smoking may increase social isolation

Since the study is observational, it does not allow us to identify the reasons for this phenomenon. However, several hypotheses have been put forward to explain it.

The British context, where strong anti-smoking measures were taken since the 1990s, where smoking prevalence has fallen sharply and where social perceptions have denormalized smoking, may partly explain this isolation. Aging smokers may be more sensitive to less social acceptance of smoking. The deterioration in the health of older smokers may be a factor in isolation, much less prevalent among younger smokers. The deaths of smoking friends may restrict the network of acquaintances. It is thus as smokers age that they become socially isolated. Married smokers, on the other hand, may be more likely to quit smoking.

Two-way interactions between smoking and loneliness

Smoking would thus not only be a consequence, but also a cause of deterioration in the psychological and social quality of life of older smokers. The bidirectional nature of this causality fuels a vicious circle where smoking maintains the isolation that it would have encouraged. Given the current state of knowledge, this process cannot be too quickly extrapolated to other countries or other age groups, although studies have already highlighted the psychological consequences of smoking and nicotine in young smokers and vapers.[2]. This study nevertheless aims to highlight the complex links between psychosocial factors and consequences of tobacco consumption.

Keywords: loneliness, isolation, psychosocial, age

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