Home Office: These People Suffer Particularly from Loneliness
Since the Corona pandemic, the proportion of remote workers has significantly increased: In Germany, last year, a quarter of all employees worked from home at least occasionally, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office.
Since the Corona pandemic, the proportion of remote workers has significantly increased: In Germany, last year, a quarter of all employees worked from home at least occasionally, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office. However, remote work has its pitfalls alongside all its advantages.
A new US study published in the journal Science examined the effects of remote work on mental health. The findings revealed that remote work can lead to employees spending more time alone—potentially leading to social isolation—and consequently struggling more with mental burdens. Social contacts outside of work provide protection: Particularly individuals living alone are significantly more affected by mental burdens due to the effects of remote work compared to those living in multi-person households.
Data from Over a Million Americans Analyzed
The study's authors, Natalia Emanuel, Emma Harrington, and Amanda Pallais, analyzed data from over half a million Americans before and after the Corona pandemic. They utilized five representative US surveys from the period of 2011 to 2024—excluding the high-Corona years of 2020 and 2021.
The authors employed a so-called "difference-in-differences design": They analyzed how a group, in this case, employees in jobs suitable for remote work, such as in IT or marketing, changed over time and compared these changes with a control group, namely employees in jobs unsuitable for remote work, such as those in healthcare.
Employees Do Not Compensate for Missing Social Contacts
The authors emphasize various points in their study that contribute to increased mental strain. Working from home intensifies the focus on individual work, placing emphasis on concentrated tasks rather than exchange and collaboration. This has implications: According to a survey, employees tend to perceive work done alone as less meaningful than work done in a team.
Moreover, remote work leads to an increase in the proportion of remote employees who spend more time alone. This is also related to the absence of social contacts at the workplace, such as casual chats with colleagues in the coffee kitchen, which employees do not compensate for with other social contacts outside of work.
The study authors report an increase in workplace loneliness: The likelihood of remote employees spending not just one day alone but, in extreme cases, entirely without human contact has risen. Particularly individuals living alone were significantly more affected by this phenomenon. Even brief human interactions enhance psychological well-being.
Overall Increased Mental Burden
The overall increased mental burden on US employees could, according to the study authors, partly be attributed to mobile working. They found that employees working in jobs suitable for remote work were increasingly more mentally burdened during the pandemic. Appointments with psychologists or psychiatrists also rose in this group.
However, caution is warranted: Laura Venz, a professor of work and organizational psychology at the Institute for Management & Organization at Leuphana University Lüneburg, states: "It is important to understand that a simultaneous development, as found here, is not an indication of causality. Besides the aforementioned aspects, industry effects could also explain the simultaneous increase in remote work and mental strain."
She also emphasizes that the compared occupational groups not only differ in their "suitability for remote work" but also in other aspects. Additionally, the fact that remote work sometimes comes with more overtime and that employees may tend to work from home even when sick could explain the increased mental burden in remote work settings.
"The Results of the Study Are Not Particularly New or Surprising"
Work psychologist Venz states that the results of the study are not particularly new or surprising: "The correlations between remote work and isolation or loneliness, well-being, and mental health highlighted in the study are known from previous research—albeit not based on such large datasets with comparative samples."
According to Venz, the results of the study are likely transferable to Germany, Austria, or Switzerland. However, she emphasizes that different labor laws—such as occupational safety and working time regulations or the right to remote work—could influence the strength of the effects. "Social life outside of work may also differ—such as through a pronounced club culture in Germany—which could mitigate 'isolation effects,'" Venz notes.
She also emphasizes: "Regarding isolation, I question whether the number of hours spent alone—especially during work—is a valid indicator of psychological feelings of isolation, i.e., loneliness. Studies on the benefits of working from home clearly show that uninterrupted or undisturbed work is rather one of the advantages of remote work."
This article was originally published on June 5, 2026, but continues to be of great interest to many of our readers. Therefore, we have updated it and made it available again.