Socially Isolated and
Sick
Loneliness kills,
according to research
dating back to the
1970s, In one classic
study, published in the
American Journal of
Epidemiology, socially
isolated people were
between two and three
times more likely to die
during the ten-year
study than those who had
many friends.
“The increase in
morbidity with social
isolation is equal to
that of cigarette
smoking,” notes Martha
McClintock, PhD, a
University of Chicago
psychology professor who
researches social
isolation and stress.
There is a path from
loneliness and other
forms of chronic stress
to many health
consequences-including
increased risk for
cancer, cardiovascular
illness and Alzheimer’s
disease. In humans,
some of these effects
may be due to the
practical benefits of
having a social network,
according to Gretchen
Hermes, MD, PhD, at the
University of Chicago.
For instance, people
with many friends are
more likely to brush
their teeth, practice
good hygiene, and
exercise more
frequently. And
outgoing people may have
more friends to care for
them, and bring them
food or medicine when
they are sick.
But
new animal studies
suggest that there are
direct, psychological
pathways from loneliness
and other chronic
stressors to illness.
And those pathways may
differ depending on
gender and temperament,
with male and
behaviorally inhibited
animals being
particularly
susceptible, researchers
are finding.
Hermes and her
colleagues found that,
overall, social
isolation suppressed
wound healing, and
further suppression in
immune system response.
Men
and women who are
lonely, bereaved, or who
lose their partners are
known to be more
vulnerable to disease
and death.
In
the animal studies,
those who were group
housed, rather than
living in individual
environments, with
richer social contexts
and sexualities, lived
longer lived longer and
healthier lives with
happier dispositions,
less anxiety and
depression and fewer
periods of illness.
This same effect has
been shown in the human
studies.
Social interaction,
partnerships, and sexual
intimacy are known to
promote good health and
long lives. Humans need
to be together.
As
flight attendants we are
around people all the
time but may experience
feelings of loneliness
even in a crowd. Let’s
make an effort to reach
out to each other and to
connect with one
another. We already
have a vital support
system in place.
Let’s keep one another
healthy! Take care of
each other and be well!
