The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again

by Catherine Price

being socially isolated is thought to be an even bigger risk factor than physical inactivity and health problems associated with obesity. Some experts believe that the health risks of loneliness and social isolation are comparable to those caused by smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. There are so many health problems associated with loneliness that Steve Cole, PhD, director of the Social Genomics Core Laboratory at UCLA, refers to loneliness as being a “fertilizer for other diseases.” Social isolation and loneliness are associated with higher risks for everything from high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and obesity to depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and cognitive decline. And, for the last two, the risk is particularly noteworthy: social isolation and loneliness have been associated with about a 50 percent increase in the risk of developing dementia.