Scientists
found that the loneliest were nearly twice as likely to die during their
six-year study than the least lonely
theguardian.com,
Ian Sample in Chicago, Sunday 16 February 2014
 |
| The findings point to a pending crisis in the UK as the population ages and people increasingly live alone or far from their families. Photograph: Paul Doyle/Alamy |
Loneliness
can be twice as unhealthy as obesity, according to researchers who found that
feelings of isolation can have a devastating impact on older people.
The
scientists tracked more than 2,000 people aged 50 and over and found that the
loneliest were nearly twice as likely to die during the six-year study than the
least lonely.
Compared
with the average person in the study, those who reported being lonely had a 14%
greater risk of dying. The figure means that loneliness has around twice the
impact on an early death as obesity. Poverty increased the risk of an early
death by 19%.
The findings
point to a coming crisis as the population ages and people increasingly live
alone or far from their families. A study of loneliness in older Britons in
2012 found that more than a fifth felt lonely all the time, and a quarter
became more lonely over five years. Half of those who took part in the survey
said their loneliness was worse at weekends, and three-quarters suffered more
at night.
Previous
studies have linked loneliness to a range of health problems, from high blood
pressure and a weakened immune system to a greater risk of depression, heart
attack and strokes. In his recent book, Loneliness, John Cacioppo, a
psychologist at the University of Chicago, says that the pain of loneliness is
akin to physical pain.
Cacioppo
said the world was experiencing a "silver tsunami" as baby boomers
reached retirement age. "People have to think about how to protect
themselves from depression, low subjective well-being and early
mortality," he said.
In light of
the damaging health effects of loneliness, Cacioppo said people approaching
retirement age might want to think twice about pulling up their roots and
heading to fresh pastures to live out their retirement. He described results
from the study at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting
in Chicago.
"We
have mythic notions of retirement. We think that retirement means leaving
friends and family and buying a place down in Florida where it is warm and
living happily ever after. But that's probably not the best idea," he
said.
"We
find people who continue to interact with co-workers after retirement and have
friends close by are less lonely. Take time to enjoy yourself and share good
times with family and friends. Non-lonely people enjoy themselves with other
people."
The
researchers found that some people were happy living a life of solitude. Others
still felt lonely, and suffered the health impacts of loneliness, even with
family and friends close by. The findings suggest that people needed to feel
involved and valued by those near to them, and that company alone was not
enough.
Caroline
Abrahams at Age UK said the study added to a growing body of research showing
that being lonely not only made life miserable for older people, but also made
them more vulnerable to illness and disease.
"It's
time we took loneliness seriously as a threat to a happy and healthy later
life. We need to do more to support older people to stay socially connected.
This is a big part of our job at Age UK and everyone can help by being a good
friend or neighbour to the older people they know," she said.
Local
branches of Age UK help older people through befriending schemes and other
services that include home visits and phone calls for people who are feeling
lonely or isolated, she added.
No comments:
Post a Comment