MOSCOW, April 22, Tatyana Pichugina. There is more and more evidence that among lonely people there is a higher risk of premature death, dementia, and cardiovascular diseases. And now even very young people often find themselves in social isolation. understands how this relates to health and what can help.
Complicated feeling
Loneliness was sung by the classics of philosophy and fiction; in the mass consciousness, voluntary solitude is a sign of wisdom. Hermits have served as models of asceticism and virtue for centuries.
Nowadays, the lack of social contacts has become a public health problem. The US Chief Medical Consultant recently called it an epidemic.
Loneliness is sometimes equated with isolation, but they are not the same thing. Isolation has more or less clear criteria: absence of family, rare contacts with others. Loneliness is a subjective and rather vague concept. A person can live alone in the wilderness and not feel lonely, or he can be a member of a large family and suffer because there is no soul mate nearby.
“Dissatisfaction due to the discrepancy between desired and existing social relationships” is how this condition is defined in the scientific literature and is put on a par with smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, air pollution, that is, negative factors for health. If loneliness lasts for years, then, by analogy with illnesses, it is called chronic. It's time to introduce an appropriate diagnosis.
According to research, a third of Americans over 35 and almost a quarter of elderly people living outside nursing homes consider themselves lonely.
Loneliness has always been associated with older age groups. However, now this is a problem for young people. According to insurance company Cigna Group, nearly 80 percent of 18-24 year olds feel lonely. Among those over 66, only 41 percent are, reports Nature.
How loneliness is linked to mortality
Scientists from Brigham Young University analyzed 70 scientific papers from 1980 to 2014 that linked loneliness and social isolation to the risk of death from all causes. In total, data from almost three and a half million people was collected there.
It turned out that for those living without a family, the risk of dying is higher by 32 percent, socially isolated — by 29 percent. Even just a feeling of loneliness increases the likelihood of premature death by 26 percent percent.
A recent survey by Chinese scientists confirms. It took into account 90 articles for the years 1986-2022 with data on more than two million people from 20 countries on all continents. It also turned out that, taking into account their profession, social status and physiological characteristics, women are more susceptible to feelings of loneliness, but in old age this is compensated by better social contacts. Among men, people who live in seclusion are more common. In addition, all this is enhanced by an unhealthy lifestyle, especially in disadvantaged countries.
A connection has been identified with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. However, the results are contradictory. American experts studieddata from the Framingham cohort study, launched back in 1948. Two thousand participants were selected who complained of loneliness at least three times a week. They lacked the APOE ε4 gene variant, which is considered a susceptibility factor for Alzheimer's disease. That is, the risk of its occurrence in old age is low. However, over the next ten years, 14 percent were diagnosed with dementia. Three times more often than among socially active people, the authors note.
< h3 id="1940109593-3">Why do people get lonely
Scientists are at a loss as to why a lack of communication has a negative impact on health and increases the risk of death. One of the obvious answers is that there is no one nearby who will help, support, or call an ambulance. Social isolation is accompanied by poor nutrition, bad habits, hence increased inflammatory markers in the blood, cholesterol, immune system disorders.
But how to explain the same risks for those who seem to live in a group, but suffer from loneliness? It has been noted that they are also more likely to have unhealthy behavior, sleep disturbances, neuroendocrine and immune disorders.
It is clear that loneliness has a complex socio-psychological nature, but apparently there is something else. Thus, in the UK, based on data from the national biobankidentified 15 genetic variants associated with this condition.
Loneliness also affects brain structures. In those who live in isolation, the so-called passive mode network of the brain is more active. Simply put, they are constantly caught up in their thoughts. This is similar to what is observed with depression.
Which is the cause and which is the effect remains to be sorted out. However, the need for involvement in social activity and joining interest groups is obvious. In Germany they offer exercise. There they experimentally determined that among young people, an hour of brisk walking a day compensates for the lack of communication.
The problem of loneliness is recognized by the WHO. The UK has already adopted a strategy to combat this dangerous social phenomenon and established a structure that the media has dubbed the “Ministry of Loneliness.” Perhaps other countries will follow the example of the British.
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