To Combat Loneliness, Promote Social Health

The Art of Health Promotion: linking research to practice

“…13 People who are lonely are at a greater risk of catching a cold, having a stroke, or developing heart disease. 14 A recent 10-year study found that loneliness increases the risk of dementia by 40%. 15 It reduces life expectancy comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes per day and has been found to impact work productivity, creativity, reasoning, and decision-making.…”

Invited discussant comments during the UCL-Penn Global COVID Study webinar ‘Alone Together: Loneliness Research and Social Health Innovation in Lockdown and Beyond’

“…As you will read in Carollo and colleagues’ article, the impact of lockdowns on people’s social relationships has not been as obvious as social scientists like me predicted. Indeed, in an article [ 1 ] for Scientific American published the week the United States (US) announced shutdowns, I warned that we might have to contend with more than one public health crisis. It stood to reason that prolonged social isolation due to quarantines and physical distancing requirements would trigger deep feelings of disconnection.…”