A new way to study loneliness and healthy years
· 2:57 · Loneliness and healthy years · With Nora
Loneliness and social isolation were linked to fewer years free from major health problems in a large UK study. The finding adds to research on how social relationships and health are connected.
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Sources
- ScienceDailyLoneliness may steal nearly 6 years of good health
- nature.comAssociations of loneliness, social isolation and healthy lifestyle with life expectancy free of major physical disease and mental disorder
- RechercheA study of more than 30,000 UK Biobank participants found that social isolation was associated with lower gray matter volume in brain areas involved in memory and learning. The study reported that socially isolated participants had a 26% higher likelihood of later dementia; this is an association, not proof that isolation caused dementia.
- RechercheResearchers distinguish social isolation, an objective measure of limited social contact, from loneliness, a person’s subjective feeling of being lonely. A 2023 study of more than 400,000 middle-aged and older adults found both were associated with higher rates of heart failure.
- RechercheA 2025 study analyzed blood samples from more than 42,000 UK Biobank participants. It found proteins associated with social isolation and loneliness, including some linked to inflammation and cardiovascular disease; the researchers said the findings offer clues, rather than a complete explanation, about how social relationships relate to health.