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The Impact of Loneliness
What about loners? Are they at greater risk of dying because they prefer to be alone?
Only if they feel lonely. One study found that drug use among young people was higher among those who said they were lonely. Older lonely people tended to have higher blood pressure and poorer sleep quality. They also were more tense and anxious.
Another study found that college freshmen who had small social networks and claimed to be lonely had weaker immune responses to flu vaccinations. They also had higher levels of stress hormones in their blood.
Unfortunately, Americans have fewer friends than they used to, according to a recent study, "Social Isolation in America," published in the American Sociological Review. The authors found that from 1985 to 2004, the number of Americans who feel they have someone with whom they can discuss important matters dropped by nearly one-third. The number of people who said they had no one they could discuss such matters with tripled to nearly 25 percent. The authors suspect that long work hours and the popularity of the Internet may contribute to the decline in close relationships.
The study also found that the percentage of people who talk about important matters only to family members increased from 57 percent to 80 percent. Those who depend solely on their spouse for these talks increased from 5 percent to 9 percent. The difference between female and male friendships.
