The old and lonely die FASTER?

Assalamualaikum dan selamat pagi

LONELINESS in old age is twice as bad for your health as obesity, scientists have warned.

Professor John Cacioppo, a neuroscientist at the University of Chicago, said that feeling isolated or rejected by society can have profound negative effects on health, ranging from blood pressure to sleep patterns.

The latest research followed 2,101 retired adults aged 50 years and over for six years. They were asked questions about whether they had people they felt in tune with or who they could talk to. After accounting for social circumstances, such as whether people were married or lived near family and friends, scientists found that people who felt lonely were 14 per cent more likely than average to die.

The suggestion is that even married people or those with plenty of social connections can feel lonely and suffer ill-effects. “It is not that social circumstance makes no difference, it is that the brain's interpretation of that social circumstance is more important than the actual number of people and their roles.

Source: theaustralian.com