WASHINGTON — It can be tempting to just stay at home and limit your interactions with other people, especially when sometimes, being alone is so much easier.
But studies have shown that social isolation may be just as harmful to your health as high blood pressure, smoking or alcohol abuse, according to Andrew Daniels, a former editor at Men’s Health magazine. He talked to WTOP’s Dimitri Sotis about the health effects of loneliness.
“Lonely people are at a higher risk for heart attacks, metastatic cancer and Alzheimer’s, among other conditions,” Daniels told WTOP. “There’s actually lots of research that proves, time and time again, that lonely people actually die sooner. They’re less healthy.”
After looking at a range of previous studies, a 2015 analysis from Brigham Young University researchers found that “Actual and perceived social isolation are both associated with increased risk for early mortality.”
Daniels cited another study, conducted by Australian researchers across 10 years, that found that “older people with a larger circle of friends were 22 percent less likely to die during that study period than those with fewer friends.”
And while smoking and obesity have been seen as public health issues with specific programs and interventions, Daniels said the same attention isn’t given to loneliness, even though it’s just as important.
“Loneliness is a really big deal,” he said, also pointing out that there’s a “pretty obvious cure”: spending more time with friends. “That’s not baseless advice; it’s supported by a ton of studies.”
Daniels added, “So, when you get your friends together to watch the game or whatever it is your watching, you’re actively doing your part to not just extend your life but to help your friends out, too.”
WTOP’s Dimitri Sotis contributed to this report.
