Obesity is often spoken of as the plague of our age. But a new study has found that loneliness is more prevalent and deadlier and is something far more of us are expected to experience in our lives, often without realising it’s happening. The study of social isolation and loneliness was carried out by Brigham Young University, Utah and found that while obesity increased risk of death by 30%, loneliness increased it by half. A study in blues: Leading the study was Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, professor of psychology at the university. She said, “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.” “An increasing portion of the western population now experiences isolation regularly,” she says. It is important to point out the difference between merely not being around people and the experience of chronic loneliness. It is in the latter that the problem lies. Recent Study Shows Loneliness Kills Faster Than Obesity By Unknown Tuesday, September 26, 2017 Share Tweet Share Share Email Obesity is often spoken of as the plague of our age. But a new study has found that loneliness is more prevalent and deadlier and is something far more of us are expected to experience in our lives, often without realising it’s happening. The study of social isolation and loneliness was carried out by Brigham Young University, Utah and found that while obesity increased risk of death by 30%, loneliness increased it by half. A study in blues: Leading the study was Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, professor of psychology at the university. She said, “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.” “An increasing portion of the western population now experiences isolation regularly,” she says. It is important to point out the difference between merely not being around people and the experience of chronic loneliness. It is in the latter that the problem lies. No comments Comment Here
