Obesity is one of the fastest-rising epidemics in the world with more 35% of adults in the US plagued with obesity. But it seems like loneliness is far deadlier. A new study found that social isolation kills.
The first study involved reviewing 148 studies involving 300,000 adults. The second study 70 studies on 3.4 million adults. Researchers concluded that people with great social connections are less likely to die early by 50%.
In the second study, scientists found that social isolation, living alone, and loneliness increase the risk of early death. The combination of social isolation, living alone, and loneliness increases the risk of premature death more than obesity or other health conditions.
According to a recent study, loneliness and social isolation may be even more deadly than obesity or than smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Lack of social connection can be so deadly, in fact, that the feeling of loneliness is a stronger predictor of mortality than obesity. [1]
Social isolation and loneliness are different, but they are typically connected. Social isolation, or lack of social connection, means you have a lack of contact with other people. Loneliness is more about lacking an emotional connection, and it’s something you can feel even if you’re surrounded by people.
Julianne Holt-Lunstad, who is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and her colleagues discovered that social isolation and loneliness may increase the risk of premature death by as much as 50%.
The researchers came to these conclusions by conducting two meta-analyses of studies exploring potential links between loneliness, social isolation, and mortality. [2]
Their findings were presented at the 125th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, held in Washington, D.C.
Image courtesy of: nicolas_keeper
