Nature and loneliness

Loneliness is prevalent and increases the risk of disease and premature death. The prevalence of chronic loneliness in Bulgaria is among the highest in the EU. This study explored whether greater exposure to nature is associated with less loneliness in adults living in the five biggest cities of Bulgaria. We used data of 3604 adults from a cross-sectional population-based survey conducted in 2023 in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, and Ruse. The participants have reported on how lonely they felt during the last two weeks. The “nature-likeness” of their home environment was objectively assessed by degree of vegetation, tree cover, percentage of urban green spaces like parks, and distance to the nearest water body, all obtained by raw or processed satellite images. In addition, presence of home garden, perceived quality of nearby green spaces and water bodies, “green” and “blue” window views, and time spent in nature was collected from the participants. We observed that living in both too green and too little green home environments or in environments with too much tree cover was associated with increased loneliness. Residing in areas with more urban green space, higher green space quality, and green space window view, and spending more time in green and blue space were associated with lower loneliness. Our findings underscore the importance of extending and improving urban green and blue spaces in Bulgarian cities.