Stress

Loneliness and Stress

Stress is pleased to announce a new Article Collection that examines the influence of loneliness on stress biology, psychology, and social domains. 

Loneliness is increasingly recognized as a complex biopsychosocial stressor with measurable effects across multiple physiological systems. Beyond its psychological dimensions, loneliness reflects perceived social disconnection that activates core stress-response pathways, including the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, sympathetic nervous system, and immune signaling networks. Emerging evidence demonstrates that loneliness contributes to dysregulation across neuroendocrine, inflammatory, neural, and cardiometabolic systems, positioning it as a driver of cumulative physiological burden, or allostatic load. As both a subjective experience and biologically embedded condition, loneliness occupies a unique position at the intersection of social, behavioral, and biological sciences. This collection seeks to advance understanding of loneliness not simply as a social phenomenon, but as a mechanistic and measurable contributor to stress physiology and health outcomes across populations and contexts.

The growing recognition of loneliness as a public health concern reflects its widespread prevalence and its association with increased risk of morbidity and premature mortality. Loneliness has been linked to cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, depression, and reduced immune function, with evidence suggesting effects comparable to or exceeding traditional risk factors. Importantly, loneliness does not act in isolation but interacts with broader social and structural determinants, amplifying health disparities and shaping differential vulnerability across populations. Despite these risks, significant gaps remain in translating mechanistic insights into clinical and public health strategies. Understanding loneliness through the lens of stress biology provides a critical framework for identifying intervention targets, informing prevention strategies, and integrating social connection into models of health and disease. Addressing loneliness as a stress-related condition has implications not only for individual well-being but also for health systems, policy, and population health.

This Article Collection invites interdisciplinary contributions that examine the relationship between loneliness and stress across biological, psychological, and social domains. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: neuroendocrine and immune mechanisms linking loneliness to stress physiology; inflammation and immunometabolic pathways; neuroimaging and brain-based correlates of social disconnection; cardiometabolic and cognitive outcomes; and the role of loneliness in shaping stress reactivity and emotional regulation. We also welcome research addressing intersectionality, health disparities, and structural determinants of loneliness, as well as translational and clinical approaches including screening, intervention development, and implementation in healthcare settings. Contributions may include original research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, theoretical or conceptual papers, and translational or clinical perspectives that align with the journal’s focus on the biology of stress.

Keywords:

Loneliness; Social isolation; Allostasis; Stress, physiological; Stress, psychological; Inflammation

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 05 March 2027.

Please contact Thalia Geiger at [email protected]  with any questions or requests for discount codes relating to this Article Collection.

Please be sure to select the appropriate Article Collection from the drop-down menu in the submission system.

Meet the Guest Advisors

Dr. Alison Warren

Dr. Alison Warren, DAOM, MSHS, is a clinician-researcher and PhD candidate in Translational Health Science at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, where she serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor. Her scholarship focuses on loneliness as a modifiable determinant of health, with particular emphasis on its physiological and cognitive effects and its translation into clinical practice. Dr. Warren’s work draws on implementation science, primary care, and behavioral health to advance the concept of loneliness as a vital sign and to develop practical screening and referral strategies for routine care. She is also an instructor at Harvard Extension School and a member of the scientific research honor society, Sigma Xi.

Dr. Laurie Theeke

Dr. Laurie A. Theeke, PhD, FNP-BC, GCNS-BC, FNAP, FAAN, is a clinician-scientist, nurse practitioner, educator, and entrepreneur whose research has focused on loneliness and health for more than two decades. She has published more than 70 manuscripts and completed multiple research studies examining the biological, psychological, and social consequences of loneliness. Dr. Theeke is the inventor of LISTEN, a novel intervention designed specifically to address loneliness. With more than 30 years of experience as a nurse practitioner caring for patients in Appalachia, she brings extensive clinical expertise to her research, advancing evidence-based approaches that foster connection, belonging, and improved health outcomes.