Loneliness is bad for health. Researchers have found that loneliness is as dangerous as smoking. Loneliness increases the risk of illness, depression, and premature death. Researchers in the United States recently conducted a study on who suffers from loneliness. It found that middle-aged Americans suffer more loneliness than Europeans.
The research article was published in the journal “American Psychologist”. Research shows a trend that has been developing over multiple generations. It has affected Generation X (ages 41 to 55) to Baby Boomers (ages 55 to 75). Regarding loneliness, middle-aged people in the UK and Mediterranean Europe are not far behind. But middle-aged people in Nordic Europe suffer relatively less loneliness.
Loneliness is bad for health. Researchers have found that loneliness is as dangerous as smoking. Loneliness increases the risk of illness, depression, and premature death. Researchers in the United States recently conducted a study on who suffers from loneliness. It found that middle-aged Americans are more lonely than Europeans.
The research article was published in the journal “American Psychologist”. Research shows a trend that has been developing over multiple generations. It has affected Generation X (ages 41 to 55) to Baby Boomers (ages 55 to 75). Regarding loneliness, middle-aged people in the UK and Mediterranean Europe are not far behind. But middle-aged people in Nordic Europe suffer relatively less loneliness.
Researchers surveyed 53,000 middle-aged people from 2002 to 2020. They analyzed data on changes in loneliness every two years from age 45 to 65. These include the Silent Generation born between 1937 and 1945, the Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964, and Generation X born between 1965 and 1974.
Researchers say there are many reasons for choosing middle-aged people for research. Because they are the backbone of society and the main workforce, but now they are facing many challenges. These include increased demands for responsibilities such as caring for elderly parents and looking after children. Since the Great Recession in the United States between 2007 and 2009, middle-aged adults have experienced poorer mental health and health problems than middle-aged adults in the 1990s.
The United States now has higher rates of depression, chronic illness, and disability among middle-aged people than in some European countries.
US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said in an interview with the BBC that studies have shown that lonely people are 30 percent more likely to suffer from heart disease. Also, socially isolated and isolated people are at higher risk of dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety and premature death.
US health authorities are calling for social isolation to be treated as seriously as obesity and drug abuse. It is estimated that nearly 50 percent of Americans suffer from loneliness. Two decades ago, Americans spent an average of 60 minutes per day physically with friends or acquaintances. But in 2020 it reduced to just 20 minutes per day.