We’ve seen similar research:
The study found the associations were stronger for the loss of years free of mental disorders — depression and anxiety — than for years free of physical diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer.
The good news is that maintaining a healthy lifestyle can mitigate the negative impact of social isolation. The bad news — it does not appear to compensate for the damage caused by loneliness.
At age 50, individuals experiencing both loneliness and social isolation lived fewer years free of major chronic diseases compared with those experiencing neither.
We know these facts. This is only the most recent research showing the negative impacts of loneliness and social isolation on mental and physical health. And yet, we live in a world that continues to make it harder and harder to connect with other human beings. In fact, we increasingly live in a world designed to dehumanize vast numbers of other people and determine our own value solely on the amount of time we spend working. That’s not going to create community.
We’re only harming ourselves.