Longevity by Jennifer Cox There’s a lot to be said when it comes to loneliness and how it affects our general well-being. We all know that having social interaction with others is good for the psyche – being isolated can be toxic to our overall mood and can even lead to certain life-threatening ailments including cardiovascular issues, decreased memory, depression and more. Recent scientific research studies have taken their findings a step further, and experts now know that loneliness and companionship impact how long we live. In 2016, researchers at the University of York in England found that people living alone faced a 29 per cent greater risk of angina and heart attack, and a 32 per cent greater risk of stroke. That is because researchers were able to pinpoint specific ailments which loneliness can impact, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol counts and diabetes. Similarly, people who live alone also tend to smoke and drink more, exercise less and eat more poorly (CTV News). Last year, CTV News reported on the results of two meta-analyses presented at an annual convention of the American Psychological Association – the purpose was to examine the impact of social isolation and solitude on the risk of premature mortality in 300,000 participants. The results confirmed that a more active social life is associated with a 50 per cent reduction in the risk of premature mortality. Being alone constitutes a risk factor that is at least as significant as others that have been previously identified, such as being overweight. Forbes published an article that explored the strong impact which loneliness has on people, pointing out just how real the correlation was. “According to University of Chicago social neuroscientist John Cacioppo, the effects of social isolation or rejection are as real as thirst, hunger or pain. ‘For a social species, to be on the edge of the social perimeter is to be in a dangerous position,’ said Cacioppo. ‘The brain goes into a self-preservation state that brings with it a lot of unwanted effects.’” Harvard University found that having no friends was linked to increased levels of a specific blood-clotting protein called fibrinogen, and too much of it is bad for our health. It can cause heart attacks and strokes by raising our blood pressure and causing fatty deposits to collect in the arteries (UK’s The Telegraph). These findings were backed by the fact that people who had just five friends in their social circle had 20 per cent higher levels of fibrinogen than those with 25 friends (to put it another way, having 10-12 fewer friends had the same impact on protein levels as taking up smoking). Imagine: being alone can be as detrimental as smoking! Which is why it’s time to get out there and socialize! Join a special interest club or an exercise class, schedule regular get-togethers with your friends, and make a point of getting out of the house and interacting with people as often as possible, whether it’s at a café, the library or even the grocery store. Don’t become a homebody. It couldmean that you live a longer and happier life! LONGEVITY and loneliness/ companionship 46 | www.snowbirds.org
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