Category Archives: loneliness

May 9, 2019 · 12:06 am

Does solo living raise mental health risk?

Full disclosure. I am a senior who lives alone. I do have a girlfriend and a dog whom I consider to be constant companions, so that may temper the damage of living solo as reported by Medical News Today.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

A new study has concluded that living alone is linked to common mental disorders. The authors have also identified the main driver of this worrying relationship.

Some common mental disorders (CMDs) include mood disorders, anxiety, and substance use disorders.

According to some studies, almost one-third of people will experience a CMD in their lifetime.

These conditions can have a significant impact on the individual, of course, but due to their high prevalence, they also affect society at large.

Due to the widespread influence of CMDs, scientists are keen to understand the full range of risk factors that feed into mental health.

In recent years, scientists have investigated whether living alone might be one such risk factor. Continue reading →

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Filed under aging, aging brain, living alone, loneliness, mental health, mental sharpness, successful aging

Tagged as aging, aging brain, living alone, loneliness, mental decline, mental-health, successful aging

August 6, 2017 · 6:04 pm

Loneliness a bigger killer than obesity, say researchers

When it comes to aging, I am reminded pretty much daily of the old saw, “Nobody said it was easy.” We need to work on our nutrition and our exercise every day of our lives as we age. But, that is not the complete answer. “Man does not live by bread alone.” It turns out that we need to take a hint from the Millennials around us and engage with others socially, too.

Writing in Medical News Today, Honor Whiteman reported on the importance or our social needs, also Woman-alone-staring-out-of-window-554224 .

Two new meta-analyses from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, UT, reveal that loneliness and social isolation may increase the risk of premature death by up to 50 percent.

Study co-author Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at BYU, and colleagues recently presented their findings at the 125th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, held in Washington, D.C.

While loneliness and social isolation are often used interchangeably, there are notable differences between the two. Social isolation is defined as a lack of contact with other individuals, while loneliness is the feeling that one is emotionally disconnected from others. In essence, a person can be in the presence of others and still feel lonely. Continue reading →

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Filed under aging, loneliness, obesity, successful aging

Tagged as aging, Exercise, loneliness, obesity

August 8, 2013 · 7:47 pm

Loneliness and Facebook posting: new research

The current study tested the psychological effects of posting status updates on Facebook using an experimental design.

Aspirus Healthy Aging Service Line

Does Posting Facebook Status Updates Increase or Decrease Loneliness? An Online Social Networking Experiment

Online social networking is a pervasive but empirically understudied phenomenon.

Strong public opinions on its consequences exist but are backed up by little empirical evidence and almost no causally conclusive, experimental research.

The current study tested the psychological effects of posting status updates on Facebook using an experimental design.

For 1 week, participants in the experimental condition were asked to post more than they usually do, whereas participants in the control condition received no instructions. Participants added a lab “Research Profile” as a Facebook friend allowing for the objective documentation of protocol compliance, participants’ status updates, and friends’ responses.

Results revealed (1) that the experimentally induced increase in status updating activity reduced loneliness, (2) that the decrease in loneliness was due to participants feeling more connected to their friends on a daily basis, and…

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