Being lonely is as bad for your health as smoking or obesity, experts have warned.
Being cut off from friends and family can raise blood pressure and weaken the immune system, the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual conference heard.
It can also make it harder to sleep and even speed the progression of dementia, according to psychologist John Cacioppo.
He found loneliness raises levels of the hormone cortisol and can push blood pressure up into the danger zone for heart attacks and strokes.
Research showed the difference in health between the lonely and the most socially active could be as great as that between smokers and non-smokers and the obese and those of normal weight.
February 20, 2009
