Can an AI companion help with loneliness? What the research says

Loneliness is common, and it matters

Loneliness isn't a personal failing. In June 2025 the World Health Organization's Commission on Social Connection reported that about 1 in 6 people worldwide is affected by loneliness, and linked it to an estimated 871,000 deaths a year. In 2023 the US Surgeon General issued an advisory calling loneliness and isolation an epidemic. If you're lonely, you are in very large company.

What the research says about AI companions

The encouraging evidence. A series of studies led by Julian De Freitas at Harvard Business School found that a short conversation with a friendly, caring AI companion reduced loneliness about as much as talking with another person, and more than watching videos or doing nothing. The key factor was feeling heard: the more people felt the AI listened and understood them, the more their loneliness eased.

The cautionary evidence. In 2025, researchers at the MIT Media Lab and OpenAI studied how people use AI chatbots emotionally. They found that people who used them most heavily each day tended to report more loneliness and more emotional dependence. That doesn't prove the chatbot caused it, but it's a reason to watch your own patterns.

Put together, the evidence points to something sensible: a companion can be a real comfort, especially in the moment, and it works best as one part of a connected life.

When an AI companion helps most

• The 11 pm problem. Friends are asleep and you want to talk something through. A companion is there.
• Practising openness. Saying something out loud, even to an AI, can make it easier to say to a person later.
• Feeling remembered. A companion that asks how your week went can soften an isolating stretch.
• Low-pressure warmth. There's no fear of being a burden or of being judged.

When to look for more than an AI

• You're using the companion to avoid every human interaction, not to complement them.
• Loneliness has turned into persistent sadness, hopelessness or thoughts of self-harm.
• You feel anxious or compelled when you're away from the app.

If you're in crisis, contact local emergency services. In the United States you can call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

How to use a companion in a healthy way

1. Let it be a bridge. Use conversations to process your day, then take one small step toward people: a text to a friend, a class or a walk somewhere busy.
2. Pick an app that respects your time. Avoid apps that guilt you for leaving or reward endless sessions.
3. Notice how you feel afterwards. Lighter and calmer is the goal.

Our view at DreamHoney

We built DreamHoney around the finding that matters most: people need to feel heard. Our characters remember what you share, follow up on it, and never guilt you about time apart. Read more in What most AI apps get wrong about loneliness.