Young Adults Feel Both Connected and Lonely Despite Having Active Social Lives

A new large-scale study is challenging some familiar assumptions about loneliness among young adults. Instead of portraying loneliness as a simple lack of friends, the research shows that many young people feel both deeply connected and strangely disconnected at the same time. This mix of feelings appears to stem from the fast-changing, unpredictable nature of modern young adulthood—rather than from a shortage of social relationships.

Conducted by researchers Jeffrey A. Hall from the University of Kansas, Natalie Pennington from Colorado State University, and Amanda J. Holmstrom from Michigan State University, the study surveyed nearly 5,000 Americans ranging from 18 to 95 years old. It was published in 2025 in PLOS One under the title “Lonely and Connected in Emerging Adulthood: The Ambivalence of Sociality in a Time of Transitions.” Their findings offer a more nuanced and realistic view of what young people experience socially today.

The Core of the Study: High Friendship Satisfaction but Persistent Disconnection

One of the most striking findings is that most young adults say they are happy with their friendships. They feel confident in their ability to make new friends, they maintain active circles, and they put effort into staying in touch. Yet, many of these same respondents also report feelings of loneliness or social fragility.

This duality suggests something important: loneliness isn’t always caused by a lack of friends. Instead, it can arise when the larger structure of life feels unstable. The study highlights that loneliness and connection are not opposite ends of a single spectrum. A person can be socially active, supported, and surrounded by friends—and still feel moments of disconnection.

This contradicts popular narratives that young people today are disconnected or socially apathetic. According to the researchers, the disconnect is not about unwillingness to connect, but about the pressures of adapting to a constantly shifting life landscape.

Why Young Adults Experience This Ambivalence

Researchers found that young adults face higher levels of life transitions than older adults. These include:

• Moving to new homes
• Starting or changing jobs
• Beginning or ending relationships
• Finishing degrees or educational programs

Every transition can temporarily destabilize routines and social rhythms. While older adults also experience change, young adults often face multiple major transitions in short periods, leading to a sense that their social environment is always in motion.

This is where the study introduces a key concept: ontological security.

Ontological security refers to a sense of predictability, belonging, and continuity in life. It’s that steady feeling that things generally make sense and follow a stable rhythm. Without it—even if someone has many friends—their social world can feel fragile.

The study notes that since the 1990s, many traditional markers of adulthood have been delayed, such as buying a home, getting married, or having children. These delays, combined with modern economic unpredictability, contribute to a longer period of instability known as emerging adulthood. This phase can stretch well beyond the early 20s, making the social terrain feel both rich and unsettled.

Young, college-educated women were especially likely to appear in what the study called an “ambivalent” social cluster: high social well-being but moderate social ill-being. Life changes seem to weigh more heavily on this group.

Strong Social Lives Do Not Guarantee Stability

The findings show that what young adults often lack is not friendship, but predictable grounding. Many have wide, diverse social networks filled with supportive friends. What’s missing is a stable foundation beneath those relationships.

In contrast, older adults often have fewer friends, but their social networks tend to be more consistent and long-standing. They report:

• Less loneliness
• More predictable routines
• Lower stress
• A stronger sense of life continuity

This stability appears to outweigh the benefits of having large numbers of friends.

The study highlights that social well-being isn’t simply the presence of friendships—it’s also the presence of stability, routine, and predictability. When the rest of life feels shaky, even a full social life can feel emotionally thin.

Loneliness as a Transitional Experience

A major takeaway from the study is that the loneliness young adults feel should not be interpreted as a sign of deep isolation. Instead, it often reflects the growing pains of becoming an adult.

Young adulthood today is a longer, more open-ended process than in previous generations. People are spending more years figuring out careers, relationships, identity, and financial independence. During this extended phase, loneliness can emerge not as a permanent condition, but as a temporary response to uncertainty and change.

The researchers frame loneliness in young adulthood as a transitional emotion—a feeling that arises while people work toward building the stability that will anchor their future friendships and life paths.

What Makes This Study Different

This research provides a more detailed map of social well-being by treating it as composed of two independent dimensions:

1. Social well-being
   • Strong friendships
   • Feelings of companionship
   • Supportive networks
2. Social ill-being
   • Loneliness
   • Social anxiety
   • Feelings of disconnection

Most studies collapse these dimensions into one scale, but this research shows why separating them matters. Many young adults score high in both areas, demonstrating that the emotional landscape of social life is more complex than previously acknowledged.

How This Research Fits Into Broader Knowledge About Loneliness

Loneliness research has evolved significantly over the last decade. Several additional insights help contextualize the new study:

• Loneliness does not always reflect social isolation. It often reflects internal perceptions rather than external circumstances.
• Periods of rapid change—such as the move from adolescence to adulthood—heighten the likelihood of loneliness.
• Cultural and economic shifts have extended and complicated emerging adulthood, making the experiences identified in this study more widespread.
• Digital communication can keep people connected but may not fully replace the grounding of predictable, stable routines.
• Older adults often show lower loneliness not because they have more friends, but because their connections are deeply rooted and their life circumstances are less volatile.

Collectively, such findings reinforce the main message of the new study: connection and loneliness can coexist when life is in flux.

Future Implications and What This Means for Young Adults Today

This research paints a hopeful picture. Young adults are not failing socially. They are not disconnected or disinterested in building relationships. Instead, they are navigating an extended period of uncertainty and transition—one that naturally produces mixed emotional experiences.

Understanding loneliness as part of a developmental process can reduce stigma and encourage healthier approaches to social well-being. It suggests that solutions may lie not only in “making more friends” but also in:

• Creating stable routines
• Reducing life stressors
• Developing long-term plans
• Finding predictable anchors
• Building deeper, more consistent relationships

This perspective shifts loneliness from a personal failing to a normal part of a complex life stage.

Research Paper:
Lonely and Connected in Emerging Adulthood: The Ambivalence of Sociality in a Time of Transitions
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0334787