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According to a new study, there’s a bigger enemy than obesity when it comes to a shortened lifespan: Being single.
Researchers at Brigham Young University published their findings on the effects of loneliness and isolation on shorter life spans in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science. The study was led by Dr. Julianna Holt-Lunstad, professor of psychology at Brigham Young University.
In their study, the researchers reviewed 218 previously studies on loneliness and isolation, reviewing data that had been collected over the course of years on 3.5 million people.
The researchers concluded that loneliness and social isolation are as life-shortening as obesity. They found that people who suffered from loneliness were 50 percent more likely to die than those who maintained meaningful social connections.
The researchers pointed out that, loneliness is not a cause of death, but a factor increasing the risk of early demise.
In the 1920s, only about five percent of Americans lived alone, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By 2013, that number rose to 27 percent.
One of the biggest risks is a functional decline. As we age, some of our function may decline and that can bring about a tendency to become more isolated. Especially after retirement, we also may purposely choose to be less active.
The study found that isolated individuals died sooner than their peers who were more socially-engaged.
As adults retire and move out of the workplace, one form of their social network can decline, as they lose daily contact with their peers.
The death of one’s spouse can also create a significant loss of companionship. Likewise, as children grow and move away, this further depletes the social network.
This combination of decreased social networks and living alone can be a double whammy that isolates an individual and brings a higher risk of decreased longevity.
