How Loneliness Can Be Deadly

Health and Medicine





Photo credit:

Jaromir Chalabala/Shutterstock

We’ve all felt isolated at times, but the so-called “invisible epidemic” that is loneliness is about much more than ephemeral feelings of sadness. Doctors have known for some time that loneliness is associated with not only chronic illness but death, too. Now, scientists are beginning to unravel why this is, with the discovery that social isolation puts our body in “fight or flight” mode, preparing for social threat. This triggers a cascade of events that ultimately alter the production of white blood cells, leaving us vulnerable to disease.