Loneliness may steal nearly 6 years of good health

A large study suggests loneliness and social isolation can cost people years of healthy life, especially when it comes to mental health. Men experiencing both lost about 5.8 years free from depression and anxiety, while women lost roughly 3.7 years. Loneliness may steal nearly 6 years of good health.

Loneliness may steal nearly 6 years of good health Science News from research organizations Loneliness may steal nearly 6 years of good health Loneliness and social isolation may cost people years of healthy life, with an especially striking toll on mental health. According to a 2023 report, about half of U.S. Adults experience loneliness, while nearly as many are socially isolated.

Despite health consequences that can rival other major risk factors, both problems remain relatively overlooked as urgent public health concerns. Until recently, however, researchers had little idea how many years of good health might actually be lost to loneliness and social isolation. Loneliness Linked to Fewer Healthy Years Researchers at Tulane University’s Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public and Tropical Medicine have now attempted to put a number on that toll.

Their first-of-its-kind observational study, published in Nature Communications, found that loneliness and social isolation were associated with the loss of nearly six years of life free from mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.