Isolation can cut your life short

Social isolation can lead to shorter lifespan, researchers report.

Their new paper explores the wide-ranging, negative consequences that social isolation has on our psychological well-being and physical health, including decreased lifespan.

Through examining a broad range of studies, a full picture emerged of the severe impact that loneliness can have:

having strong interpersonal relationships is critical for survival across the entire lifespan; social isolation is a significant predictor of the risk of death; insufficient social stimulation affects reasoning and memory performances, hormone homeostasis, brain grey/white-matter, connectivity, and function, as well as resilience to physical and mental disease; feelings of