Julianne Holt-Lunstad is a
psychologist at
Brigham Young University.[1] She is a fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology and Association for Psychological Science.
Research
Holt-Lunstad specializes in psychology and
neuroscience.[2][3] Her research focuses on the long-term health effects of social connections and includes a
meta-analysis on the effects of
loneliness and
social isolation on mortality.[4][5] That research has linked loneliness to deteriorating health.[6]
Holt-Lunstad was the first US-based researcher to publish studies connecting poor social support to
morbidity.[7]
As a result of her in-depth research, Holt-Lunstad was selected to serve as a scientific advisor for the Australian Coalition to End Loneliness in 2017.[8] She has also been called to testify in front of the
United States Congress Special Committee on Aging regarding her research.[7][9]