Feeling lonely? Study says loneliness increases your risk of developing dementia by 31%
1 week, 1 day ago

Feeling lonely? Study says loneliness increases your risk of developing dementia by 31%

Hindustan Times  

Loneliness goes beyond the feeling of being alone and isolated. According to the largest study ever conducted on the subject, published in Nature Mental Health, loneliness is now linked to a 31% higher risk of developing dementia. This is groundbreaking, as the risk factor of loneliness is similar to other commonly known risk factors for dementia, like smoking or lack of exercise. Researchers even considered physical conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, but the independent connection between loneliness and dementia remained unwavering. Furthermore, other than dementia, loneliness also increased the chance of developing milder cognitive problems, like memory or problem-solving difficulties, by 15%.

Health Dementia Risk Loneliness Developing Dementia  lonely  dementia  increases  health  risk  loneliness  developing  31  researchers  emotional  brain  study  feeling  mental

History of this topic

Have you been feeling lonely for too long? It can drive you to drugs
4 weeks ago

Have you been feeling lonely for too long? It can drive you to drugs

Hindustan Times  

At some point in everyone’s lives, loneliness may come looming over. It might be a reaction to a mental health problem, or it could be the trigger that causes the mental health disorder.” Depression: “Loneliness is strongly associated with depression. If you've been feeling socially isolated or lonely, negative self-beliefs and suicide ideation may rise, while life satisfaction frequently falls. …

Apodaca: Feeling disconnected? You’re not alone
5 months ago

Apodaca: Feeling disconnected? You’re not alone

LA Times  

Lone Pine Peak, elevation 12,949 feet, is located on the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. “We definitely have a significant problem with loneliness going on in society, both kids and their parents,” said Dr. Jerry Weichman a clinical psychologist and adolescent health specialist at Hoag Hospital’s Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute in Newport Beach. But even without COVID …

Chronic loneliness puts older adults at risk for stroke, study suggests
5 months, 4 weeks ago

Chronic loneliness puts older adults at risk for stroke, study suggests

CNN  

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 to connect with a trained counselor, or visit the 988 Lifeline website. In fact, older adults who reported being chronically lonely had a 56% higher risk of stroke than those who were …

Loneliness and cardiovascular health: Here's how social isolation leads to deadly heart issues
10 months ago

Loneliness and cardiovascular health: Here's how social isolation leads to deadly heart issues

Hindustan Times  

The subjective experience of a mismatch between one's desired and actual levels of social connectedness is known as loneliness, or “perceived social isolation”. Loneliness and cardiovascular health: Here's how social isolation leads to deadly heart issues In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Prashant Pawar, Consultant-Interventional Cardiology at Fortis Hiranandani Hospital in Vashi, shared, “It is commonly acknowledged that loneliness …

Only the lonely know the way I feel'
1 year ago

Only the lonely know the way I feel'

Deccan Chronicle  

Feeling lonely is tough. Evolutionary mechanisms for loneliness As cavemen, we lived in “tribes.” The idea behind tribes was that everyone had assigned roles; some stayed back to take care of the family while others went out to hunt. Social connections ensure reproductive success in the tribes, where individuals formed partnerships and even shared caregiving responsibilities for children,” explains Dr. …

How loneliness changes the way our brains process the world
1 year, 2 months ago

How loneliness changes the way our brains process the world

Hindustan Times  

If there’s one thing we as humans seem to have in common, it’s that most of us have felt lonely at one time or another. The researchers asked participants to watch a series of video clips while inside an fMRI scanner and found that non-lonely people showed very similar neural activity to each other, whereas lonely people showed brain activity …

Yes, loneliness really is as deadly as smoking — here's why
1 year, 7 months ago

Yes, loneliness really is as deadly as smoking — here's why

Salon  

The fabric of American society — our car-centric city design, our predilection for single-family homes and our self-reliant culture — seems engineered to engender loneliness. This is because social isolation and loneliness are believed to shorten a person's life span by up to 15 years, as well as place them at increased risk of not exercising well, having a poor …

Experts say loneliness isn't just a social problem — it's bad for your health, too
1 year, 8 months ago

Experts say loneliness isn't just a social problem — it's bad for your health, too

Salon  

Loneliness isn't just a social problem — it's a physical problem as well, as scientific research over the past decade has revealed in spades. "In the lab study, we found striking similarities between social isolation and food deprivation," said authors Ana Stijovic and Paul Forbes in a joint press statement. "Both states induced lowered energy and heightened fatigue, which is …

Loneliness isn't just bad for your mental health — it can compromise your immune system
1 year, 8 months ago

Loneliness isn't just bad for your mental health — it can compromise your immune system

Salon  

When it began some three years ago, few anticipated that the COVID-19 pandemic would kill several million people and injure countless others. Loneliness increases the risk of many illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, stroke, dementia, and mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. Studies show that loneliness or social isolation has been tied to elevated blood levels of …

Can loneliness increase your risk of diabetes?
1 year, 10 months ago

Can loneliness increase your risk of diabetes?

Live Mint  

Loneliness and social isolation are likely to increase the risk of diabetes, researchers have found. Additionally, stress, loneliness, and anxiety increase the risk of metabolic disorders among Type 2 diabetes patients, explains Mishra, adding that people who are suffering often stay alone. The researchers concluded that perceived loneliness was associated with increased intake of sugary beverages, which further explains why …

Loneliness increases risk of future unemployment: Study
2 years, 4 months ago

Loneliness increases risk of future unemployment: Study

Hindustan Times  

According to new research, experiencing loneliness seems to lead to a higher risk of future unemployment. Lead author Nia Morrish, of the University of Exeter, said: "Given the persisting and potentially scarring effects of both loneliness and unemployment on health and the economy, prevention of both experiences is key. Decreased loneliness could mitigate unemployment, and employment abate loneliness, which may, …

Childhood Loneliness Can Result In Drinking Problems Among Young Adults
2 years, 5 months ago

Childhood Loneliness Can Result In Drinking Problems Among Young Adults

News 18  

The findings of new research suggest that experiencing loneliness as a pre-adolescent child can have a drinking problem years later, in early adulthood. Researchers from Arizona State University examined the effects of experiencing childhood loneliness on current stress levels and drinking behaviours in young adults. “In young adults, childhood loneliness before age 12 was associated with perceived stress right now …

Can social isolation lead to dementia?
2 years, 6 months ago

Can social isolation lead to dementia?

Live Mint  

Why do we get a buzz from being in large groups at festivals, jubilees and other public events? Our recent study, published in Neurology, shows that social isolation is linked to changes in brain structure and cognition – the mental process of acquiring knowledge – it even carries an increased risk of dementia in older adults. One study mapped the …

Spending time in nature can reduce feelings of loneliness, study suggests
3 years ago

Spending time in nature can reduce feelings of loneliness, study suggests

The Independent  

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and the social restrictions that have come with it, the number of people who have felt lonely often, or always, has significantly increased. Feeling overcrowded increased loneliness by an average of 39 per cent, while social inclusivity cut loneliness by 21 per cent, and contact with nature lowered it by 28 per cent. …

Loneliness Awareness Week: 5 simple tips and tricks for when you feel alone
3 years, 6 months ago

Loneliness Awareness Week: 5 simple tips and tricks for when you feel alone

The Independent  

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. …

Midlife Loneliness Might Lead to Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer's Later in Life: Study
3 years, 8 months ago

Midlife Loneliness Might Lead to Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer's Later in Life: Study

News 18  

Being persistently lonely during midlife appears to make people more likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease later in life, a new study finds. “Whereas persistent loneliness is a threat to brain health, psychological resilience following adverse life experiences may explain why transient loneliness is protective in the context of dementia onset,” said researcher Wendy Qiu from the Boston University …

6 Signs Feeling Lonely Has Become A Bigger Issue (And How To Fix It)
3 years, 9 months ago

6 Signs Feeling Lonely Has Become A Bigger Issue (And How To Fix It)

Huff Post  

Alexandra Bowman for HuffPost Bent Not Broken is a look back on the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has disrupted our mental health, plus advice on how to manage our well-being moving forward. Yasmine Saad, a licensed clinical psychologist and CEO of Madison Park Psychological Services in New York City, said that “when we go from …

I fear a loneliness epidemic among young people – here’s how we can help stop it
4 years, 3 months ago

I fear a loneliness epidemic among young people – here’s how we can help stop it

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy When we …

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