June 20, 2023 – People who’re lonely or socially isolated have a dramatically increased risk of early death, in line with a significant latest study.
Social isolation increased the chance of early death by 32%, and loneliness increased the chance of death by 14%. study published on Monday in an internet edition of Nature human behavior. Researchers combined data from greater than 2 million adults from 90 previous studies published from 1986 to 2022.
The study also found quite a few links between social isolation, loneliness, cancer, heart problems and death.
Social isolation increased the chance of dying from cancer by 24% or from heart problems by 34%. Loneliness increased the chance of dying from cancer by 9%.
People with heart problems had a 28% increased risk of dying from any cause (not only heart disease) when socially isolated, they usually had a 51% increased risk of dying from breast cancer. People with breast cancer had a 33% increased risk of dying from a cancer-related cause in the event that they were socially isolated.
“It is therefore important to improve the social relationship status of cancer patients, especially breast cancer patients, to extend survival time,” the authors write.
The researchers defined social isolation as an absence of (or limited) social contact with other people, reminiscent of having a small social network, infrequent social contact, or living alone. Loneliness was defined as a sense of stress attributable to having fewer social relationships than desired. Social isolation is believed to have objective characteristics, reminiscent of having a certain variety of relationships, while loneliness has subjective characteristics, measured by how people feel about their relationships.
Previous research has linked social isolation and loneliness to poor health outcomes.
Researchers identified 4 key potential aspects linking social isolation, loneliness and risk of death:
- Altered levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which affects an individual's glucose levels, metabolism, inflammatory response, reproductive system, and cardiovascular system
- Mental health effects, particularly later in life, reminiscent of depression and cognitive decline
- Harmful behaviors reminiscent of smoking, alcohol consumption, poor food plan and reduced exercise
- Because of a small social network, there’s a lower likelihood of receiving routine or emergency medical care
The authors wrote that lonely or socially isolated individuals are also more often affected by poor medical care.
“Poor care from health care professionals who find this group difficult to treat or time-consuming further exacerbates health outcomes,” they wrote.
The researchers at Harbin Medical University in China concluded that “a greater focus on social isolation and loneliness may help improve people's well-being” and reduce the chance of death.