London - Being lonely won’t just make you miserable; it could also suppress your immune system and knock years of your life.
Research shows that those who feel the most isolated in later life are almost 15 percent more likely to die early than those who feel the most wanted and needed.
This makes loneliness twice as bad for health as obesity.
A team from the University of Chicago says that being cut off from others can weaken our ability to fight viruses, as well as pushing blood pressure into the danger zone for heart attacks or strokes and raising the odds of depression.
Their study on the physical effects of isolation could also help explain why it can become so entrenched.
Tests on men and women aged over 50 showed that certain immune system genes – called CTRA genes – were more active in those who said they felt very lonely. This suppressed the immune response that fights off viruses, while increasing inflammation – a process linked to numerous health issues including heart disease to frailty.
Experiments on macaques showed that the changes had real consequences for health, with a suppressed immune system allowing the monkey version of HIV to grow faster in their blood and brain.
And interestingly, the relationship appears to go both ways. Loneliness didn’t only lead to more active CTRA genes – having more active CTRA genes also increased the odds of being lonely in the months to come.
Scientists are unsure why this is the case, but it may be that the immune changes make people more anxious and reduce motivation, making it harder for them to socialise. The finding could help explain why people often find it so hard to break out of a lonely lifestyle. The research comes as Britain faces the twin challenge of an ageing population and an increasingly fragmented society, in which many people communicate over the internet rather than face-to-face.
An estimated one million elderly Britons are chronically lonely, with many not seeing or even speaking to someone every day. It is thought that almost a quarter of those aged over 75 who live alone go whole days without any human contact –face-to-face or over the phone.
The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and highlights that loneliness can also disrupt sleep – leaving people feeling lethargic the next day and more likely to rely on sleeping tablets. Researcher John Cacioppo suggests the lonely try to make friends through charity work, such as reading to the blind or helping coach a children’s sports team.
He said: “You need to start small. Don’t focus on trying to find the love of your life or reinventing yourself all at once. Just dip a toe into the water.”
Finding company in a beloved pet may also help.
Professor Cacioppo has shown that having a dog makes people feel less isolated – however other animals such as cats, lizards and hamsters have no effect.
It is thought that dog owners may benefit from the exercise and social interaction that comes with taking their pet for regular walks.
Dogs also tend to be highly affectionate animals.
And despite focusing his latest research on older adults, the professor believes that loneliness is bad for the health regardless of a person’s age.
Daily Mail