Here’s another attribute to add to the list of healthy activities that contribute to longer life: A socially active lifestyle.
That’s the upshot of new research out of Brigham Young University that shows that social isolation and loneliness are just as much a threat to longevity as weight gain, eating a poor diet, and lack of exercise.
"The effect of this is comparable to obesity, something that public health takes very seriously," said Julianne Holt-Lunstad, who led the study. "We need to start taking our social relationships more seriously."
Many older people are more likely to be lonely and face a higher mortality risk, the researchers noted. But the study also shows that loneliness and social isolation can be precursors to premature death among populations younger than 65 years.
"Not only are we at the highest recorded rate of living alone across the entire century, but we're at the highest recorded rates ever on the planet,” noted Tim Smith, co-author of the study. "With loneliness on the rise, we are predicting a possible loneliness epidemic in the future."
The study analyzed data from a variety of health studies and included more than three million participants from studies that tracked loneliness, social isolation, and living alone.
Controlling for variables such as socioeconomic status, age, gender, and pre-existing health conditions, the researchers found a lack of social connections boosts the risk for death, while the existence of social relationships provides a positive health effect.
The findings, published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, suggest loneliness is as risky as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and being an alcoholic, but also surpasses health risks associated with obesity.
"In essence, the study is saying the more positive psychology we have in our world, the better we're able to function not just emotionally but physically," Smith said.
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