Hearing loss → Loneliness
Higher hearing loss increases loneliness.
A systematic review of studies in older adults found that hearing loss was associated with a higher risk of loneliness.
Review · Moderate · N=14
The two move together in observational data. Nobody has yet tested whether one causes the other.
Mechanism
The passage does not name a pathway.
Caveats
The review gathers studies in older adults and reports an association, not a trial result. It cannot show that hearing loss came first, and it does not rule out other differences between people with and without hearing loss.
Effect
No pooled effect size in the passage: hearing loss went with higher risk of loneliness.
Nodes
Named confounders
Cite this page
What Causes What. “Hearing loss → Loneliness.” https://whatcauseswhat.org/edges/e-hearing-loneliness (atlas updated 2026-10-17).
Papers
- Hearing Loss, Loneliness, and Social Isolation: A Systematic Review.
A Shukla, M Harper, E Pedersen, A Goman, JJ Suen, C Price, J Applebaum, M Hoyer · 2020 · Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Older adults