Loneliness

“Being lonely is a lot more worrying for your health than obesity,” writes Philippa Perry.

She draws on research by John Cacioppo that shows that for the elderly “Feeling isolated from others can disrupt sleep, raise blood pressure, lower immunity, increase depression, lower overall subjective wellbeing and increase the stress hormone cortisol (at sustained high levels, cortisol gradually wears your body down).”

A 2010 report from The Mental Health Foundation found that mental health is also linked to friendships and social connections: “mental health problems occur more frequently in unequal societies where vulnerable people are often left behind. By squandering ‘social capital’ in the individualistic pursuit of greater wealth, or treating social networks as incidental, are we neglecting a part of life that makes us happy and keeps us healthy for longer?” 

Lonely people experience “anger, sadness, depression, worthlessness, resentment, emptiness, vulnerability and pessimism. Lonely people frequently feel that they are disliked, are often self-obsessed and lack empathy with others. They fear rejection and keep themselves at a distance, which feeds the loneliness.”