When did PhDs get so lonely?
A large institutional survey (10,000+ students) found “an alarming picture of psychological distress associated to feelings of loneliness”. This was more acute amongst international, women, distance, and LGBTQ students, who experienced higher isolation and distress rates than peers. And isolation is one of the major drivers of non-completion.
How did it ever get so bad?
I did a deep-dive into the research around isolation to find out. I found a situation that is getting worse, but one that we’ve never been better equipped to solve.
Causes of Isolation
- The doctoral journey is inherently solitary – even under ideal conditions. But recent institutional and societal pressures have created a perfect storm, thus incubating isolation for so many students.
- Heavy workload + lack of leisure time – this leads to burnout and social withdrawal
- Online/remote programmes – These show especially high isolation without deliberate social structures.
- Poor supervision – The quality of supervisor relationship is the strongest factor shaping the student experience; poor relationships sharply raise isolation and attrition risk
- Lack of emotional support – Students often don’t expect emotional support and rarely receive it, even when academically supported.
- Normalising struggle – Academic culture often rewards overwork, competition, and self-sufficiency.
- Financial & career anxieties – Financial insecurity and unclear career prospects consistently increase isolation and psychological distress.
- Common psychological contributors – These include: imposter syndrome perfectionism, and fear of failure
What this shows that is that isolation isn’t ‘one thing’. It’s a system-level problem shaped by the design of the doctorate, academic culture, relationships, money, and identity.
But what does this research say about the solutions to isolation?
Solutions to Isolation
1. Start a tiny peer support loop (2–3 people, 15–30 mins)
Why this, based on the research. The strongest evidence we’ve got is for small, facilitated support groups – they reduced distress and moved 74% of students out of the “at-risk” range, mostly through universality (“I’m not the only one”), shared experience and hope.
What to do today:
Message 1–3 other PhD students you vaguely know (office, lab, online cohort, WhatsApp group).
Suggest a 10–15 minute “how’s your week really going?” chat on Zoom or in person.
Keep it very low-stakes: “no prep, cameras optional, just a quick check-in so we’re not doing this alone.”
Agree a simple structure:
2 minutes each: “what I’m working on / stuck on”
2 minutes: “what would make next week feel better?”
2 minutes: encouragement / normalising.
The goal is not to “fix” each other’s projects – it’s to recreate the peer universality and support that the intervention studies showed were effective.
2. Make your isolation visible to one trusted person and ask for one concrete change
Why this, based on the research: Stigma and silence are big risk factors – students often fear seeking help will harm their career, so they wait until things are really bad. At the same time, the supervisor relationship and close support relationships are repeatedly shown as the biggest predictors of well-being and persistence.
What to do today:
Choose one person: supervisor, co-supervisor, mentor, trusted staff member, or friend/partner who “gets” academia.
Send a short, factual message like:
“I’ve realised the isolation of the PhD is really getting to me lately. I’m not asking you to fix it, but I’d love one small thing that might help – e.g. a quick check-in once a month / pointing me to any groups / sanity-checking my plan.”
If it’s a supervisor/academic:
Ask for one concrete adjustment: a regular meeting, clearer timeline, or being looped into a reading group / lab meeting.
You’re doing two evidence-based things here:
Reducing harmful stigma by naming the problem.
Leveraging the fact that relational quality is a huge buffer against isolation and dropout.
3. Add one recurring “community anchor” into your calendar
Why this, based on the research: Isolation is built into the design of the PhD, but it becomes harmful when it’s involuntary and persistent. What helps is regular structured contact – cohorts, communities of practice, online groups, in-person events.
What to do today:
Look for one existing space you can plug into:
a weekly writing group (online or in person)
a doctoral seminar series / lab meeting
a student-led postgrad society event
Commit to attending the next one, even if you just sit quietly in the Zoom room or at the back.
Put it in your calendar as a recurring event – this is your “I am not doing this alone” anchor.
If nothing exists:
Start a micro-version: a weekly 60-minute co-working session with one other student on Zoom or in the library.
This is about turning isolation from “default and constant” into “sometimes alone, sometimes connected” – which is exactly the nuance the qualitative studies emphasise.
Wrapping up
What is your experience of loneliness? Comment below.
And whether you’re lonely or not, look out for one another and reach out to those around you. A little love goes a long way.
0 Comments