How perceiving pace of social change affects loneliness: psychological obsolescence as predictor for loneliness in late-life sample
Nora M. Degen, Frieder R. Lang · 2026
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Description
Nora Degen and Frieder Lang study how feeling left behind by social change feeds loneliness in old age in this 2026 paper. They call that feeling psychological obsolescence: the sense that the world has moved on without you. The study followed 818 adults aged seventy-five and up in southern Germany across two years.
People who felt more obsolete were lonelier at the start. They were also lonelier two years later, even after their starting loneliness was counted. Loneliness itself proved quite stable over the span. Living without a partner and being socially isolated added to later loneliness. The authors say helping elders feel current may be a lever against late-life loneliness.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Nora M. Degen, Frieder R. Lang |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 46 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |