A study warns of “loneliness” with risks leading to death
The issue of loneliness in some countries has led to the establishment of specialized institutions, as is the case in the United Kingdom.
In this context, the German federal government recently approved a strategic paper that includes more than a hundred measures to combat this issue, according to the “Berliner Zeitung” newspaper.
Loneliness is a significant health risk, according to psychologist Susan Boker from the University of Viten/Herdecke in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Boker points out that the causes of loneliness are often individual and difficult to generalize, including lack of communication, weak relationships, and a lack of closeness.
An American study showed that the feeling of loneliness is associated with a noticeable increase in the mortality rate over 8 years, with researchers examining data from 9,032 participants.
Loneliness also affects public health, impacting blood pressure, memory aging, and the cardiovascular system.
According to the results of a previous study, people who feel satisfied with the quality and quantity of their social relationships tend to live longer on average.
It appears that the risks of death due to loneliness outweigh the impact of risk factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption, even surpassing factors such as lack of physical activity and obesity.
Financial problems and excessive use of technology play a role in increasing the feeling of loneliness, and the loneliness rate has risen among both adults and children due to communication restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this situation, experts emphasize the importance of building social relationships at an early age that continue into old age to avoid the difficulty of finding new friends in the future, while encouraging the search for friendships both inside and outside the workplace.
