Why loneliness is an unpleasant experience of life
Loneliness is more than just feeling sad. It can be a real danger to your health. Researchers in Australia studied over 11,000 women. These women were middle-aged and older. The study lasted for 18 years. Results showed long-term loneliness raised the risk of death. This was true no matter their physical or mental state.
The study used data from 11,412 women. They were 45 and older. Data came from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Participants were picked at random from a health database. They were interviewed every three years from 1996 to 2016. Women with serious diseases were excluded. This kept earlier sicknesses from affecting results.
Loneliness was measured with one question. It came from a depression scale. The question asked about feeling lonely. Women said how often they felt lonely each week. Answers ranged from "rarely" to "almost always." Data was gathered for 15 years. This allowed researchers to study loneliness patterns over time.
The study showed a clear link. The longer someone felt lonely, the higher their death risk. Women lonely in two surveys had a 49% higher risk. Those lonely in four surveys had a 118% higher risk. Women lonely in all six surveys had a 215% higher risk. Even brief times of loneliness had a big impact.
Scientists considered other factors. They included diseases, habits, stress, and income. Loneliness still raised the death risk. Women lonely for longer also had higher death rates. The rate was 11% in the lonely group. It was less than 1% in the group without loneliness.
This study has important meaning. Loneliness is a serious health concern. It is not just a bad feeling. The length of loneliness matters too. More frequent loneliness raises the risk.
Even if someone is social, loneliness can build up. It can hurt health regardless of other things. Loneliness should be taken seriously. It is a key sign of death risk, especially in older adults.