Loneliness isn't fun, people. But, worse than that, it may be slowly but surely affecting your health to the point of it being a silent killer.
According to an article on WebMD, a recent study in Psychological Science discussed folks who felt socially disconnected-aka lonely-were more likely to view a doll's face as human.
"People who are lonely have more physical and mental health problems than those who feel connected to others," explains Bruce Rabin, MD, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Healthy Lifestyle Program., told health.com. Here, four ways loneliness affects your health:
You're more likely to be down in the dumps
The more lonely you feel, the more likely you are to have depressive symptoms, according to research at the University of Chicago.
"When you're lonely, brain hormones associated with stress such as cortisol become active, which can causedepression," Rabin explains. "In fact, for mild and moderate depression social interaction is even more effective at alleviating symptoms than a prescription antidepressant." One 2009 Colorado State University study found that the more positive social interactions people with depression had, the more improvement in symptoms they experienced.
Research shows you'll eat less healthful fare if you frequently dine solo: Single and widowed men and women 50 and older, for example, eat fewer veggies daily than married or cohabiting counterparts. "If you're cooking for other people, you're more likely to prepare a healthier meal that contains a range of foods-a meat, a starch, a vegetable-than if you're just throwing together something for yourself," Rabin points out.
Folks who are lonely are also more likely to be physically inactive, according to a 2009 study published in the journal Health Psychology.
Health.com also reported that middle aged adults who live alone have a 24% increased risk of dying of heart disease, according to a 2012 Harvard study.