Loneliness Is Becoming an Epidemic
We all suffer loneliness at one time or the other in our lives. It may be a time when we have just moved to a new city or neighborhood. In the United Kingdom, 60% of 18–34 years old say they often feel lonely. In the United States, 46% of the entire population say they regularly feel lonely.
The above statistics are not only surprising but also disheartening. Despite the fact that we live in the most sophisticatedly connected era in history, a staggeringly scary number of people in the world is epidemically lonely.
Here’s another sad reality:
Our world today is filled with beautiful people, stunningly wealthy personalities, and well-educated folks. Yet we feel lonely. This speaks volumes. Meaning that social and financial connections are not directly proportional to freedom from loneliness. You can be among people and yet suffer loneliness. This is because loneliness is first and foremost a mental attitude which then translates into physical isolation.
Sufferers of loneliness are constantly in a fight or flight mode. Lonely people are unhappy, restless, and insecure. Because they have divided minds, they lack focus and manage time badly.
Several studies have revealed that feelings of loneliness can result in a 29% increase in cases of heart disease (equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes daily). It can also aggravate the risk of a stroke by 32%. The likelihood of having dementia doubles with loneliness.
Loneliness is a deadlier killer than obesity. 16% of Norwegians report that they experience loneliness daily. There is also an astronomical public health cost to loneliness. Over 60% of money spent on mental health is consumed by dementia alone in Norway. Yet it’s the happiest country in the world.
While older people are universally recognized as mainly lonely (some stats say one-third), younger people are increasingly lonely. Young sufferers of loneliness (teenagers and young adults) are said to perform academically below par, experience more depression, and have more suicidal thoughts than their peers. Young people who have been diagnosed with the debilitating illness have been known to be socially isolated.
Single women are many times more likely to be lonely than women in a relationship. Single men are many times more likely to suffer loneliness than single women.
Some studies have revealed that lonely people have 30% — 60% risk of dying earlier than non-lonely people. It is always more difficult for lonely people to receive medical assistance than non-lonely people because their mental and physical isolation prevents them from regular social contact. Aside from this, good health and hygiene standards could be ignored when lonely. A heart attack or fire may be reported late before any tangible rescue.
The simple wisdom is that we have a better chance of survival in groups than in isolation. It is extremely dangerous for social species to live in isolation. Even among animals, group hunting is largely more efficient than solo hunting.
It seems that the world is not finding enough solutions or it’s getting worse at finding solutions for loneliness despite increased technological advancement. In the words of Karen Dolva “Loneliness has become a pandemic that does not discriminate on age or gender or borders. It happens all over the world. And it happens most frequently to those of us who are already vulnerable”.
Ultimately, sociability is more efficient at prolonging life than solitude.
