Is Loneliness as Bad as Smoking 15 Cigarettes a Day?

Highlights:

Loneliness could be a solitary killer; people who are lonely are more likely to die earlier than those with strong social relationships
It has been claimed that loneliness can be as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day
Loneliness can also increase the risk of stroke, dementia, and heart attack

Everyone knows smoking has a plethora of harmful effects. Loneliness could be a killer, but could it be as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day?

The US surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, has issued a warning that "being socially disconnected" has a similar impact on death as smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day. The media extensively covered this claim. However, how did they arrive at the "15 cigarettes a day" number?

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‘Loneliness can be just as detrimental to your health as smoking or drinking alcohol.’

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The Origins of the Comparison of 15 Cigarettes a Day to Loneliness

Dr. Murthy is referring to a 2010 research that looked at death rates and social interactions. In a process known as "meta-analysis," the researchers pooled the data from 148 studies on the subject to produce a more conclusive statistical response to their inquiries ().

Data from 300,000 individuals who were tracked for an average of seven and a half years were included in the meta-analysis. The extent to which social interactions can affect the risk of an early death, the characteristics of social relationships that are most likely to predict an early death, and any risk-reducing elements were all investigated by the researchers.

They came to the conclusion that those who have strong social relationships has a 50% lower risk of premature death than those who are lonely. They then calculated that the impact of social ties on the risk of mortality is equivalent to well-established risk factors for death, such as smoking cigarettes, using a statistical method called "random effects models".

Even though the methodology the researchers used was correct—and loneliness is certainly harmful to your health—it could be said that the "equivalent to 15 cigarettes a day" analogy is a little far-fetched.

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Loneliness is also As Bad as 6 Drinks a Day

The researchers also noted that compared to alcohol intake (more than six drinks per day), loneliness poses health hazards that are greater than those posed by inactivity and obesity. However, because they don't have the same effect as smoking, these parallels are rarely made in the press or at keynote addresses.

The smoking analogy has the potential to make lonely people feel worse and increase the stigma surrounding loneliness. However, the analogy's potency should not be understated. Thirteen years later, the publication is still spreading awareness about loneliness and its detrimental effects on one's health.

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Loneliness is Associated with Other Diseases Too

Other studies that are just as robust, but perhaps fail to grab the headlines in the same way, have likewise shown a range of health conditions associated with loneliness and social isolation, including heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer (). Even recovery following heart surgery can be compromised by isolation.

Loneliness can also cause mental health illnesses such as desperation, despair, sleep issues, alcohol misuse, and other psychiatric disorders (). People who are lonely are more sensitive to social dangers. It is thought that loneliness has an evolutionary purpose in that it serves as a cue for people to alter their social and lifestyle habits, much like hunger or thirst. However, when loneliness persists for an extended period of time, it can be more difficult for individuals to overcome their bad emotions.

Additionally, loneliness is linked to a higher incidence of dementia ().

During the pandemic, loneliness dramatically rose in prevalence, especially among young adults. The pandemic also hastened socioeconomic changes that have aggravated the loneliness epidemic, like remote employment and online shopping.

The costs of loneliness to economies, businesses, and health systems serve to highlight the urgency of finding solutions. For the UK economy and private sector businesses, the yearly cost of loneliness may reach £32 billion and £2.5 billion, respectively.

Dr. Murthy is right that loneliness can be just as hazardous to your health as smoking, but there are numerous other methods to assess its negative effects.

References:

Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review - (https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316)
Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal observational studies - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27091846/)
Relationship between loneliness, psychiatric disorders and physical health ? A review on the psychological aspects of loneliness - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25386507/)
Does loneliness contribute to mild cognitive impairment and dementia? A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30914351/)

Source-Medindia

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