There is a very curable epidemic sweeping the country.
Did you know that loneliness has reached epidemic levels, especially among people from age 18 to 22?
New research ranks loneliness alongside smoking and obesity as a major health threat.
Health insurance company Cigna conducted a study that included adults of all ages. This study determined that if you feel lonely, you are not alone.
- Nearly fifty percent of adults said they always felt alone or left out.
- Forty-three percent of adults said their relationships were not meaningful.
- Twenty-seven percent of adults said they rarely or never felt that others understood them.
When people think of loneliness, they usually think of older people, perhaps those we sometimes refer to as “shut ins” or those in nursing homes. However, this survey found that young adults between the ages of 18 and 22 are affected by loneliness more than any other age group.
Why is the younger generation most affected by loneliness? Social media could be a part of the problem. The younger generation relies on social media for social contact, and this can be isolating. A person can have a million friends on Facebook and still be lonely. Chatting on a computer is not the same thing as having in-person relationships. Real relationships actually keep a person from feeling lonely.
According to the New York Times, loneliness impacts health by raising levels of stress hormones as well as inflammation. And raising these two levels is not good, because this can lead to various health conditions.
- heart disease
- arthritis,
- type 2 diabetes
- dementia,
- and suicide.
Did you know that a 2010 study found that loneliness is as unhealthy as smoking 15 cigarettes a day?
Loneliness is curable though.
When you begin to feel lonely, go out and take a walk in a park or a mall. Spend time talking with other people and simply stop spending time alone.
If you feel lonely and rely heavily on social media such as Facebook for companionship, perhaps you should consider saving yourself from this curable epidemic by going out and meeting people. And if you are not lonely, you can help others who may be lonely by being friendly to them.
Interacting with others just might save your life.
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