Assessing the relationship between perception of everyday life aesthetics and loneliness among older adults: a cross‑sectional study

Loneliness is a common and distressing experience among older adults with adverse health outcomes. The relationship between perceptions of everyday-life aesthetics—defined as the subjective experience of beauty, meaning, and satisfaction in daily activities—and loneliness remains underexplored. This study examined this relationship among older adults in Ardabil, Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted from July to December 2025 among 300 older adults aged 60 years or older who were referred to four educational and therapeutic centers in Ardabil, Iran. Participants were recruited through consecutive sampling with proportional allocation across centers. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Aesthetics of Everyday Life Scale for Older Adults (AELSA), and the Loneliness Scale. Pearson’s correlation coefficients, independent-samples t tests, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed in SPSS version 26. A p‑value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The mean age of participants was 71.65 ± 6.7 years. Overall, perceptions of everyday life aesthetics were relatively favorable (mean AELSA score = 3.68 ± 0.60), whereas the mean loneliness score indicated moderate loneliness (1.79 ± 0.40). Correlation analyses showed that all AELSA subscales were significantly and negatively associated with loneliness ( p < 0.01), with the strongest associations observed for family and others, spirituality and transcendence, and beauty of appearance and physical health. The total AELSA score showed a moderate negative correlation with loneliness ( r = − 0.416, p < 0.01). In the multiple linear regression model, only the art and artistic activities subscale independently predicted loneliness (B = − 0.115, p = 0.004), explaining 16.2% of the variance in loneliness (R 2 = 0.162). Higher perceptions of everyday life aesthetics, particularly artistic engagement, are associated with lower loneliness in later life. Nursing assessment and care planning for older adults should therefore attend to the aesthetic and meaning-oriented aspects of daily life, using creative and art-based strategies as part of comprehensive psychosocial care to reduce loneliness.