Introduction
Loneliness, the distressing feeling of social isolation or lack of meaningful social connections, is a significant public health concern linked to increased mortality and adverse health outcomes among adults in the United States. With the growing ubiquity of social media platforms, many adults turn to online communities and digital communication to seek emotional support and alleviate loneliness. However, the comparative effectiveness of emotional support obtained through real-life interpersonal interactions versus that derived from social media remains unclear. This study aims to clarify how these two sources of emotional support relate to loneliness in a nationally representative cohort of US adults.