New research says that this widespread social isolation is a major threat to public health, perhaps even deadlier than obesity. The issue is only set to get worse too because of a decreasing number of children per household, declines in marriage, and an aging population.
“Being connected to others socially is widely considered a fundamental human need — crucial to both well-being and survival. Extreme examples show infants in custodial care who lack human contact fail to thrive and often die, and indeed, social isolation or solitary confinement has been used as a form of punishment,” Julianne Holt-Lunstad, professor of psychology at Brigham Young University, said in a statement. [...]
Using both of these studies, they concluded that social isolation, loneliness, or simply living alone had a significant and equal effect on the risk of premature death. They also found that greater social connection is associated with a 50 percent reduced risk of early death.
Everybody has felt lonely at some point in their life. However, chronic loneliness is a very different beast. Numerous other studies have shown a link between loneliness and physical health difficulties, from fragmented sleep and dementia to lower cardiovascular output and a weakened immune system. The mechanism is not exactly crystal clear, however, it is likely to be a combination of psychological factors taking their toll on physical health and the absence of a support network.
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