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How Social Isolation Is Killing Us (nymag.com) 297

schwit1 quotes a report from The New York Times: Social isolation is a growing epidemic (Warning: may be paywalled; alternate source) -- one that's increasingly recognized as having dire physical, mental and emotional consequences. Since the 1980s, the percentage of American adults who say they're lonely has doubled from 20 percent to 40 percent. About one-third of Americans older than 65 now live alone, and half of those over 85 do. People in poorer health -- especially those with mood disorders like anxiety and depression -- are more likely to feel lonely. Those without a college education are the least likely to have someone they can talk to about important personal matters. A wave of new research suggests social separation is bad for us. Individuals with less social connection have disrupted sleep patterns, altered immune systems, more inflammation and higher levels of stress hormones. One recent study found that isolation increases the risk of heart disease by 29 percent and stroke by 32 percent. Another analysis that pooled data from 70 studies and 3.4 million people found that socially isolated individuals had a 30 percent higher risk of dying in the next seven years, and that this effect was largest in middle age. Loneliness can accelerate cognitive decline in older adults, and isolated individuals are twice as likely to die prematurely as those with more robust social interactions. These effects start early: Socially isolated children have significantly poorer health 20 years later, even after controlling for other factors. All told, loneliness is as important a risk factor for early death as obesity and smoking.
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How Social Isolation Is Killing Us

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  • by burtosis ( 1124179 ) on Friday December 23, 2016 @10:38PM (#53546619)
    There are actually some people who are either happy or at least nonplussed to be alone. Not everyone feels a deep seated need to talk about the weather or hear about trivial personal problems. Not everyone who lives alone degenerates into a curled up ball and mentally wastes away. But the day health risks are determined on an individual basis from a large pool of facts is far, far away. People like the security blanket statements that sum up a complicated condition into one handy catch phrase or statistic. Much like stereotypes, while statistically this study may be correct in general it certainly does not apply to everyone equally.
    • by Falconhell ( 1289630 ) on Friday December 23, 2016 @11:21PM (#53546721) Journal

      If you are lonely when you are alone, you are in bad company.

      • If you are lonely when you are alone, you are in bad company.

        When I drink Alone , I prefer to be By Myself . . .

    • by arth1 ( 260657 )

      There are actually some people who are either happy or at least nonplussed to be alone.

      Well, if someone's friends suddenly leave without warning, I'm sure one could get nonplussed: perplexed and not knowing how to react.

      • Protip:

        Nonplussed has two meanings. I tripped on this last week.

        nonplussed |nänplst| (also nonplused)
        adjective
        1 (of a person) surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react: he would be completely nonplussed and embarrassed at the idea.
        2 North American informal (of a person) not disconcerted; unperturbed.

        • by arth1 ( 260657 )

          What dictionary is that? Merriam-Webster and Oxford English both only list the original meaning of nonplussed, not the American misunderstanding. Has it become widespread enough now that it's listed in dictionaries?

          Will we also find entries in this dictionary for "CPU" and "Hard disk" that says "North American informal: computer enclosure"?

    • by hey! ( 33014 ) on Friday December 23, 2016 @11:53PM (#53546819) Homepage Journal

      There are actually some people who are either happy or at least nonplussed to be alone.

      I think this is true. The trick is really knowing if this is really you.

      Let me give an analogy. A few years ago I was driving home from Christmas dinner at my sister's house when suddenly I couldn't unclench my hands from the steering wheel. I went to the emergency room, they did a blood test and my blood sugar was over 600. "You're diabetic," the doctor said, and she gave me a shot of insulin. Suddenly, I felt better than I had in twenty years. The things is, I had been feeling like crap for years, but I didn't know it. I thought I felt normal, but that's because "normal" is how you feel every day.

      After that experience I've come to doubt self-reports of well-being. I look at people who sincerely believe they are happy, but they don't look like happy to me. They seem miserable. Resentful. Sour-tempered. On a good day they might manage smug. Now maybe the problem is I don't have access to their rich inner lives, which they must keep bottled up like they're in a thermos. But it's just possible that they're deceived by the extraordinary human capacity to get used to feeling like crap.

      You don't have to believe the notion that social connection leads to greater levels of human health and happiness -- although it seems at least plausible given that this is true for practically every other primate species. And even in you believe it is true for most people, that doesn't necessarily mean that applies to you. Maybe you're a special case.

      But it seems to me rational to approach life as an experiment. You might think you are as happy as happy can be, but why take it for granted this is your best version of "normal"? And of course experiments force you to sharpen a lot of fuzzy concepts, like "social connection" or "isolation". I am an introvert. It doesn't mean I'm shy, or socially awkward, or misanthropic. It doesn't mean I don't need social connections. It just means I need different things from those connections than an extrovert would.


      • I'd also add that social isolation may indeed be a side effect of other conditions.

        After all, people who are constantly miserable or sickly do not tend to make more friends over time...

        Furthermore there is the modern twist. Many people with niche or unpopular opinions are getting more exposure through the internet than ever before. They are perhaps naturally shunned or isolated.

        Worse yet are the people that are not on facebook missing all the opinions and interactions of those that are. Sometimes that
      • I like your comments on this. It would be interesting to break this down further to see how many interactions are needed per unit time for different personality types and the correlation with mental health. I read somewhere that very intelligent people need fewer interactions and friends, but that doesn't tell us how healthy they are. If one looks at politicians in light of this study, it appears that they are in dire need of friends and medications.
      • An introvert is someone who is on a spectrum of needing less social contact than the average, but no functioning person can get by with no social contact at all. Look at what happens to people in enforced isolation. It's considered a form of torture.

    • As my grandmother used to say, "if you can't stand to be by yourself, you probably bore other people too." She lived to be 103.
    • If you're happy or neutral about being alone then you're not "lonely", and the research mentioned in the article may not apply to you.
    • by tsqr ( 808554 )

      There are actually some people who are either happy or at least nonplussed to be alone.

      You should look up the meaning of that word. Unless you really meant, "either happy or at least puzzled and confused," that is.

    • My mother lived alone for decades after my father died. She was very social and very happy. She did meals on wheels, tutored at a disadvantaged school, worked, played piano for people at a nursing home, active in the church, worked at a job etc. She was neither lonely or unhappy living alone, she loved it. She did this until 90. Totally agree with parent, this social science approach where everyone is the same is just wrong.

  • by Frosty Piss ( 770223 ) * on Friday December 23, 2016 @10:39PM (#53546621)

    (Warning: may be paywalled; alternate source)

    If there is an "alternate source", why use the pay-walled sources?

  • Money (Score:4, Insightful)

    by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Friday December 23, 2016 @10:41PM (#53546629)
    what's isolating me is money. Every year my income is more or less static but my bills go up. I've had promotions, a few projects that brought in some extra cash; but they've mostly served to keep my head above water and clean up the mess from the 2008 economy crash.

    Plus it's hard to stay in one place for any length of time. You gotta move to where the work is. And to be blunt, I live in the cheap tech worker apartments, and that means lots and lots of folks here on work visas. They're nice people, but they're not my people.

    I'd be a hell of a lot less isolated if the economy would stabilize, but I don't see a snowball's chance in hell of that...
    • "They're nice people, but they're not my people." This got modded to +5, but I sure would have liked to have seen some clarification on this first. Cultural differences can be enriching.
  • Cultural sickness. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 23, 2016 @10:43PM (#53546637)

    Pretty much to be sociable you need a large group of people.

    In the past this was based either around your extended family, region, race, religion, or national heritage. This was not always a good thing either at the micro or macro level, but it did represent a support network for some (but not all) members of a societal group.

    Nowadays much of this has been lost, due to globalization, electronics, hetereogenized neighborhoods (especially new builds as evidenced in the US.) Neighborhoods for better or worse are often no longer established families and friends. As people have spread out, that previous sense of community has slowly dissolved. While there just as many people available today, fewer of them are willing to interact with people outside of their social norms, and since those social norms are spread more thinly across the local region, it becomes less likely that a particular person has an immediate support network to overcome that isolation.

    As a personal example: When I was a kid, there were a half dozen kids around my age all living with a block or so of me. While there was a concern of child predators and abductions, by and large people still let their kids go outside, and kids by and large still snuck off to go have fun with friends (my parents were however one of the 'shut in' types, up until I was around 10 or so, at which point I was allowed to bike to school (mostly because my mom had better things to do than actually bother to take me to school or pick me up on time.) In addition to this there was at least one empty field per block (1/4 to 1/2 mile square) which usually lead to a congregation point for the kids. Fast forward 10-20 years and all those fields have been fenced in or built over. Most parents are more concerned about the appearance of their children's safety in regards to allowing them out in the neighborhood, and kids by and large would rather play videogames/watch tv/on a computer than go outside and do stuff, whether hanging out with friends, terrorizing neighbors, or finding field replacements to hang out in.

    • by ZorinLynx ( 31751 ) on Friday December 23, 2016 @11:11PM (#53546695) Homepage

      >all those fields have been fenced in

      It's really sad how fear of lawsuits has forced property owners to fence in fields that would otherwise serve as open space for kids to play in urban areas. I so often see a nice field of grass fenced in with nothing on it, that no one can use. The property owner probably doesn't care if kids play on his land, he's just worried about a lawsuit if those kids get hurt on that land.

      Same thing with school athletic fields. When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s the fields were open to the public. There was usually a gate with some posts to keep vehicles out, but us kids could go in and play ball or do whatever on the field when school was out. Now it's all locked down because the school is afraid of lawsuits.

      Paranoia has made life less fun for kids. :(

      • by Ichijo ( 607641 ) on Saturday December 24, 2016 @12:55AM (#53546983) Journal
        Even worse, the kind of land use patterns that encourage social interaction [strongtowns.org] have been outlawed in much of the USA. We are no longer allowed to build cities the way we used to.
        • Wow, that is really informative and depressing actually. Thanks.
        • by djinn6 ( 1868030 )
          I don't disagree with GP, and I think mixed-use zones are a great way to lower costs and reduce traffic. However, that article is nonsense:

          1. Social Isolation: Rural areas have some of the most friendly and talkative people. Try going up to anyone in New York and ask how their day was. Just because there's 10 people in front of you, doesn't mean you're having social interactions. I personally have never felt more alone than in a crowded room with people partying and "having a great time".

          2. Discrimina
      • >all those fields have been fenced in

        It's really sad how fear of lawsuits has forced property owners to fence in fields that would otherwise serve as open space for kids to play in urban areas. I so often see a nice field of grass fenced in with nothing on it, that no one can use. The property owner probably doesn't care if kids play on his land, he's just worried about a lawsuit if those kids get hurt on that land.

        Same thing with school athletic fields. When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s the fields were open to the public. There was usually a gate with some posts to keep vehicles out, but us kids could go in and play ball or do whatever on the field when school was out. Now it's all locked down because the school is afraid of lawsuits.

        Paranoia has made life less fun for kids. :(

        It's no better as an adult. Take a look at how much you spend every month on mandated expenses defined as "insurance".

        Thank the fucking legal community for this liability arms race, where lawyers and insurance companies get obscenely rich off the paranoia that keeps humans from actually enjoying life.

        It truly is one of the more disgusting facets of capitalism, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

    • by johannesg ( 664142 ) on Saturday December 24, 2016 @05:18AM (#53547437)

      Don't underestimate the car. In the not too distant past, you would live close to work, and most likely not too far from where you were born, in a community you'd consider to be yours. Now you can live a vast distance from work. Your coworkers are people from other communities as well, so there is no bond there, and you don't spend enough time at home to build meaningful bonds in your local community either.

  • hmm (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Ol Olsoc ( 1175323 ) on Friday December 23, 2016 @11:17PM (#53546711)
    What about if you find being around other people stressful? I know plenty of people - myself included - who need to get away from others from time to time because being around other people just drains my batteries big time. It isn't shyness, I'm completely socialized, and not remotely awkward. But I find being around others stressful at times. I guess that you might describe it as how some people are afraid of public speaking. I can stand and deliver all day without a hitch, without a bit of nervousness - but after the evening's socialization, I need a day or two to recharge.
  • by flacco ( 324089 ) on Friday December 23, 2016 @11:20PM (#53546717)

    I'm trying to figure out what bullshit rip-off "service" sponsored this article.

  • text my 62 year old mother, it might be 30 seconds to 2 days to get a response, people older than that are terrified to use email or other modern communication methods. My wife grandmother 10 years ago would spend HOURS on end on the phone, talking to the same 2 people about absolutely nothing, every single day ... but wouldn't go out to any events or gatherings, course now she cant remember her ass from her foot...

    Its not because you are doing something wrong, its because THEY absolutely refuse to get off

  • I can see where this is coming from. The lack of interaction has a strange thickness to it. An empty house can feel like you're stranded on a deserted island. For those still of working age it's avoidable, though (without getting hitched):
    1. Live in an apartment building. Not a complex where everyone has their own door to the outside, but a huge, elevator building with dozens of apartments per floor. As these tend to be cheaper (or luxury buildings) it is a bit of a win-win. Having an interior space s

    • by arth1 ( 260657 )

      An empty house can feel like you're stranded on a deserted island.

      One man's Gilligan's Island is another man's Fantasy Island.

      One of the best days of my life was when I was 18 and got keys to my first and completely empty condo. All I had the first day was a table lamp, a sleeping bag and a book. It was heaven.
      Going to a cabin to get away from people is still wonderful.

      • An empty house can feel like you're stranded on a deserted island.

        One man's Gilligan's Island is another man's Fantasy Island.

        "De UPS truck! De UPS truck!"

  • It's an effect. People are poor now. They don't have the money to go out and do things.
    • by x0ra ( 1249540 )
      are you kidding ? If hipsters had no mean to go out, they wouldn't be buying $7 mocha latte at starbucks everyday, or even keep drinking beer ...
  • by JoeyRox ( 2711699 ) on Saturday December 24, 2016 @12:07AM (#53546863)
    I can certainly see how feeling lonely can lead to ill health effects. However feeling lonely and being alone are two different animals. One is a state of mind while the other is just a state of proximity.
  • Increased stress hormone levels help to improve memory.
  • Hell is other people.

  • One reason that country folk attend church so regularly is that they are too isolated when they own larger plots of land than people do in the cities. Their instincts tell them the importance of associating with others. Can you imagine a dolphin or a chimp that did not socialize with others of its species?
  • by Trachman ( 3499895 ) on Saturday December 24, 2016 @01:11AM (#53547035) Journal

    That is denial.

    Denial that social isolation is harming. Look, even in this thread there are so many people who are saying that they are happy alone.

    More importantly, many magazines for women are pushing never ending message (never supported scientifically), that older women, after divorce are just better off.

    Increase in mortality by an average of 30% would normally be declared an epidemic health hazard, on par with smoking and obesity.

    Another fascinating fact is that probably a fifth of adults in USA are (or were) on antidepressants. Other studies have shown that having a partner, or a friend, to whom you can talk to, drastically reduces depression risk.

    Finally, the ultimate statistical fact. In USA average life expectancy is 79.3 years (source: wiki). Costa Rica has life expectancy of 79.6 yrs, and Albania has 77.8, while Costa Rica spends one tenth of US healthcare spendings and Albania spends one thirtieth of US healthcare spendings?

    Perhaps there is something wrong with US? Also, it is so difficult not to be suspicious that many purely american phenomena are known to the number crunchers, yet are allowed to stay the way the are intentionally.

  • The slashdot crowd should be rejoicing. "It's for health."
  • by spiritplumber ( 1944222 ) on Saturday December 24, 2016 @02:38AM (#53547187) Homepage
    If you are alone and old, you keel over and die. If you are with someone and old, they can call 911.
  • by geekmux ( 1040042 ) on Saturday December 24, 2016 @03:54AM (#53547307)

    There are many aspects we can look at that created this mess, but one that seems to be overlooked here is the concept that people don't want to grow old anymore. Sadly, many find they can't afford to. Think the average Millennial is looking forward to retirement when they can barely afford to make ends meet? What's the point of growing old when you're going to be forced to blow your entire retirement nest egg on some major health issue that will inevitably crop up?

    The constant threat of liability leading to lawsuits forces most of us to waste our incomes on countless forms of insurance. The social media lifestyles of the narcissistic elite are held high on an entertainment pedestal, and I wonder how watching that shit doesn't ultimately feed depression. Life is hard these days because it isn't getting any cheaper, and that chasm between the 99% and the 1% sure as hell isn't getting smaller, so don't assume Greed who helped create this mess is going to suddenly find compassion.

    As if all that wasn't bad enough, here comes automation and AI to help shrink the human worth down to nothing.

    It's sickening. Literally.

  • Yep, ya know why? Because no one gives a shit.

    The day when you start caring, is the day when it actually matters. I did - but no one else did.
  • ... you can see the irony in that, right?

  • "One recent study found that isolation increases the risk of heart disease by 29 percent and stroke by 32 percent...."

    If all this is true, we Slashdotters are an endangered species. And I'd have to say the proportion who stroke is a lot closer to 100% than 32%.

    And if that seven year mortality stat is right, it might be wise to dump any shares you have in Kleenex and Vaseline before the inevitable crash.

  • by iamacat ( 583406 ) on Saturday December 24, 2016 @11:57AM (#53548315)

    Let's forget about individuals who are too physically or mentally ill to socialize for a moment. These elderly single have been married for many decades and know their years are numbered in any case. Would all of them be THAT eager to give up independence and restrict their habits to accommodate a new person they just met? Even if it means sticking around for a few years longer?

    Let's not glamorize traditional hypersocial society either. It's not fun having people ring your doorbell without warning or never ending stream of social commitment that leaves little time for personal interests. Failure to adequately separate self from family and neighbors makes it difficult to succeed in ways not traditional for these groups or resist bad influences. How many join gangs because all cousins are in gangs?

    We mostly live the way we do by choice. A lot will feel lonely on holidays, but would be miserable if made to experience all consequences of lifestyle of their coworkers who are having a big home gathering.

  • by PPH ( 736903 ) on Saturday December 24, 2016 @07:41PM (#53550073)

    But the law won't let me rent it by the hour.

Those who do things in a noble spirit of self-sacrifice are to be avoided at all costs. -- N. Alexander.

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