Loneliness Can Actually Hurt Your Heart. Here ’s Why

Research has shown, again and again, that emotional and physical health are inextricably linked. There are significant health benefits associated with love and friendship, supportive marriages and feelings of gratitude, for example. And there are significant health risks linked to the opposite. A new study, published Monday in the journal Heart, looked at social isolation (being separated from other people) and loneliness (being cut off from social connection, and being unhappy about it). Researchers found that people who are socially isolated or lonely are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke, compared to people with strong personal networks. Social isolation, but not loneliness, also seems to increase the risk of death among people with a history of heart disease, the study says. The findings support several other studies that have come to similar conclusions. “Having social support from significant others or from persons who are in a similar situation is good for your health, and socially isolated or lonely individuals might not have possibilities for this kind of support,” said first author Christian Hakulinen, a professor of psychology and logopedics at the University of Helsinki in Finland, in an email to TIME. However, there was one surprise. Suspecting that the effects of social isolation and loneliness might be compounded by other traits common among antisocial folks, the researchers set out to determine exactly how much risk could be blamed on ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthytime onetime Research Source Type: news