Loneliness and How It Impacts Your Health

By Laura Cole, MSW, SWLC

Loneliness and How It Impacts Your Health

Smoking kills. So does loneliness. 

Recent studies found many adults aged 50 or older are socially isolated, or lonely, in ways that put their health at risk. 

• Social isolation significantly increased a person’s risk of premature death from all causes, a risk that may rival those of smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity.

• Social isolation was associated with about a 50% percent increased risk of dementia.

• Poor social relationships (characterized by social isolation or loneliness) were associated with a 29% increased risk of heart disease and a 32% increased risk of stroke.

• Loneliness was associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide.

• Loneliness among heart failure patients was associated with a nearly 4 times increased risk of death, 68% increased risk of hospitalization, and 57% increased risk of emergency      department visits. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021).

Knowing these scary statistics, what can we do to combat feeling lonely? 

Oddly, if we lived in the United Kingdom, we could be “prescribed social activity” by our physicians. British doctors are “social prescribing,” which means not prescribing medications, but rather prescribing what to do with your spare time, such as baking, drawing, or taking up yoga. Doctors may write out a prescription for a person to take part in an activity, usually at a subsidized price, to help them meet other people and find a new purpose or focus. (Harris, B., 2018).

So, let’s focus on what we can do now, at any age, to help reduce the feelings of loneliness. 

1. Use social media wisely. If you use social media to connect with existing friends or make new ones, the technology can help you feel less lonely. However, mindless scrolling through others’ carefully crafted posts will probably leave you feeling disconnected and dissatisfied, and studies have shown a decrease in self esteem related to excessive social media consumption. 

2. Expect the best. After a bout of loneliness, people often have negative expectations of social encounters. When you enter a social situation, check in with yourself: Do you feel anxious? Are you concerned that others will reject you? If so, consider that your brain may be overreacting. Most people, even strangers, and open to the possibility of connection. Instead, try asking yourself if your anxiety is driving your concerns and you can even try asking someone how they are experiencing you; after all, we can be extremely hard on ourselves and often exaggerate the negative aspects of an interaction over the positive.

3. Volunteer. Volunteering is a great way to shift your focus from yourself to others. It’s also a great way to make new connections, find people with similar values to yours and give back to your community.

4. Get warm. A fascinating line of research shows our bodily states can influence our thoughts and feelings. Being cold can increase feelings of loneliness, whereas being warm can create feelings of social warmth (Kerr, N., 2022). 

5. Join a friend making app, such as Bumble BFF, Bumble Business, and Peanut (like Tinder, but for making mom friends)! These are great ways to “screen” new friends, start chatting prior to meeting and meet out in public if it’s a good match (with safety concerns in mind of course).

6. Focus on developing and building support and community for yourself. One of the biggest protective factors in preventing mental health episodes (depressive episodes, bipolar episodes, etc.), is to develop a good support system, who are cued into the warning signs you may not be doing well and help you use coping skills to regulate yourself. 

These are just a few ideas to create connection. The big picture is to avoid isolating, reach out to friends, family members, or a mental health professional, and remember, it might be nice to have a “prescription for social activity,” the key to fighting loneliness is in our hands. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, April 29). Loneliness and social isolation linked to serious health conditions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/aging/publications/features/lonely-older-adults.html#:~:text=Loneliness%20is%20the%20feeling%20of,lonely%20without%20being%20socially%20isolated. 

Harris, B. (2018, February 19). Doctors in the UK are prescribing social activities to fight against loneliness. World Economic Forum. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/02/line-dancing-and-baking-a-prescription-for-good-health/ 

Kerr, N. (2022, April 22). 20 ways to feel less lonely and more connected. Psychology Today. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/social-influence/202204/20-ways-feel-less-lonely-and-more-connected