THURSDAY, July 11, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Loneliness strikes more than one in five people worldwide, with 23 percent saying they felt lonely "a lot of the previous day," according to the results of a Gallup survey published Wednesday. Those experiencing feelings of loneliness often felt physical pain, worry, sadness, stress, and anger, as well.
Beyond its emotional toll, loneliness is "a medical problem" that should be taken "very seriously," psychiatrist Sue Varma, M.D., told CBS News.
"It's the equivalent of having somebody smoke 15 cigarettes per day, and we know that it affects our mind and our body," she said. "It predisposes us to anxiety and depression. It increases our risk by 30 percent for heart disease, for stroke, 50 percent for dementia, and 60 percent for premature mortality."
But there is a way to combat loneliness, she added. "Look at the quality of your relationships and say, 'Do I feel seen and validated and appreciated?'" Varma said. "We want to have a mix of micro connections -- talking to the barista, talking to your dog walker -- but also deep and meaningful connections in your life, where you can feel vulnerable and open up to share."
The survey also showed loneliness was worse for young Americans than older ones.
"It's really unfortunate that as much as we want our children to succeed, the emphasis I feel is being put on academic achievement. And for kids, they're looking at financial achievement and a lot of these goals, these milestones that were possible for us years ago, aren't possible for them, mixing in climate change, war," Varma said. "They're feeling alienated, they're feeling disconnected, and the places that they would turn to -- friends, parents, coaches -- are no longer sources of safe havens. They're sources of stress because of this competition to succeed."
To ease this angst, Varma suggests people schedule socialization "as if it was a medical appointment. Your life depends on it, because the quality of our life depends on the quality of our relationships."
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