Living Alone in Japan: Social Interactions and Heart Rate Variability

Research Topic
Living alone in Japan: Social interactions and heart rate variability

Lead Researcher
Kimberly Suzanne BOWEN, Associate Professor, Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University

Center Researchers
Yukiko Uchida, Professor, Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University

Masataka Nakayama, Assistant Professor, Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University

Hiromi Segawa, Research Fellow, Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University

Globally, the number of single-person households has increased dramatically in the last 50 years (Klinenberg, 2013). In Japan, 34% of the population lives alone and this percentage continues to increase (Japan NIPSSR, 2015). In Western countries, empirical research has generally debunked the popular lay hypothesis that the boom in living alone would erode social capital, creating an epidemic of loneliness. However, Japan’s cultural background is distinct from the culture of Western counterparts exhibiting similar trajectories in living alone. These cultural differences – historical multigenerational household norms, interdependent selfhoods, more stable social networks, and collective values – may uniquely influence the ties between living alone and health in Japan (Markus & Kitayama, 2010). This research examines whether living alone in Japan is associated with differences in daily health habits (e.g. sleep) and social interactions, and whether these differences are associated with differences in well-being and heart rate variability, a prospective risk factor for both mental and physical illness, by collecting data from daily life diaries and heart rate variability monitors.

2021/06/16