Loneliness, Mental Health and the Work-From-Home Revolution

Benjamin Cowan and Joe M. Spearing

No 34914, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: The large increase in remote work since 2020 has prompted concerns about adverse effects on population loneliness and mental health. We show that any such adverse effects were small, in a UK context. We use data from UKHLS and differences-in-differences estimators that flexibly control for a rich set of covariates to compare changes in key variables amongst two groups: those who worked in teleworkable occupations in 2019, and those who worked in non-teleworkable occupations in 2019. While the former experience large and persistent increases in their probability of working remotely compared to the latter, any relative changes in self-reported loneliness or adverse mental health symptoms are transitory and disappear by the year 2023.

JEL-codes: I12 I18 J22 J32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-02
Note: EH
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