Extreme Loneliness Is A Bigger Killer Than Obesity Says New Survey

Loneliness has been shown to increase the chances of an early death by 14%, which is worse than being overweight, a study has found.

With an increasing lifespan, many of us are spending a bigger part of our lives alone. The gulf is increased further by our reliance on technology and remote jobs. This is having a huge impact of peoples physical, as well as mental health, the survey found.

Loneliness is also on the rise due to people living alone as people choose to live alone, marry later or not at all, and becoming isolated from families and friends, especially in old age. Research has shown that up to 40% of adults feel lonely at any given time.

The recent survey, conducted by the Mental Health Foundation, found that 10% of British people often feel lonely, 30% know a friend or relative they feel might be lonely and over half think the population are getting lonelier in general.

The study links a follow-up over six years, which could be linked to overall health and risk of early death. Professor John Cacioppo, a psychologist at the University of Chicago, has said there is a huge difference between physical and mental health of those who had satisfying personal relationships versus those who hadn't.

"We think that retiring to Florida, leaving friends and family will end up with us living happily ever after, but that's probably not the best idea. Retiring to live with strangers isn'tr necessarily a good idea if it means estranging yourself from friends and family," Professor Cacioppo said.

"We find people who continue to interact with co-workers after retirement and have friends close by are less lonely, and this is true throughout the world. As people age and lose mobility, they are more at risk of chronic loneliness, which would threaten the person's well-being almost immediately, and would increase the odds of depression, compromised immunity and poorer quality sleep, all of which could hasten ageing."

Loneliness is linked with higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which is a key factor in raising the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Professors Cacioppo's simple advice to people who are worried about being lonely is: "Take time to enjoy yourself and share good times with family and friends."