Humans are innately emotional creatures, and our range of emotions help us navigate through life. However, some emotions can be harmful to our health, especially loneliness. For older adults, loneliness has been linked to shortened life spans and the development of chronic diseases. Previously, researchers suspected a connection between loneliness and poor health but lacked a concrete understanding of the underlying reasons. As it turns out, loneliness triggers several responses in the body, starting with inflammation, which then leads to chronic illness and a reduced life expectancy.
The Impact of Loneliness
When it comes to inflammation, it’s important to differentiate between acute and chronic types. Acute inflammation occurs in response to stress and typically dissipates after some time. Chronic inflammation, however, is low-grade and not externally apparent, causing concern since it can interfere with the body’s ability to maintain healthy functioning.
In a study conducted by researchers from the University of Chicago and the California National Primate Research Center, it was discovered that loneliness leads to a phenomenon known as “conserved transcriptional response to adversity” (CTRA), a type of fight-or-flight stress signal in the body. This signal causes an increase in inflammation-related gene expression while decreasing antiviral response gene expression. This means that lonely people have less effective immune responses and increased inflammation levels.
These researchers then conducted another study to evaluate the impact of loneliness on leukocyte cells, which are immune system cells responsible for protecting the body from bacteria and viruses. They found that not only did these cells follow the same CTRA pattern of increased inflammation and decreased antiviral responses, but they also exhibited elevated levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. Norepinephrine stimulates the production of immature monocyte cells, which also demonstrate high inflammatory gene expression and low antiviral gene expression.
The Path to Increased Disease Risk and Reduced Life Span
These findings suggest that loneliness results in fight-or-flight stress signaling. This increases the production of immature monocytes leading to increased inflammation and impaired antiviral responses. The “danger” signals activated in the brain due to loneliness adversely affect white blood cell production. In older adults, this phenomenon is linked to a 14% increased risk of death. However, intervention and lifestyle changes can help reduce loneliness and its negative health impact.
Reducing Loneliness and Increasing Life Quality
The most obvious solution to reducing loneliness is to become more social. For some individuals, this is easier said than done. One potentially beneficial intervention is mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), which focuses on being present rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. A study published in Brain, Behavior and Immunity found that MBSR effectively reduced loneliness and altered the expression of inflammation-producing genes linked to heart disease risk.
The stress reduction program used in the study included weekly two-hour meetings for meditation technique learning, a day-long retreat, and daily 30-minute meditation sessions. But committing to that amount of time isn’t necessary to see improvements. Simply meditating for 12 minutes a day has been shown to effectively improve mild cognitive impairment, potentially ward off Alzheimer’s-like symptoms, and reduce stress in addition to combating loneliness.
Incorporating anti-inflammatory foods into your diet is another effective strategy to fight inflammation, regardless of your emotional state. However, social interaction is still the most surefire way to counteract loneliness. Make an effort to reach out to friends and family, volunteer in your community, or participate in activities and programs that facilitate the formation of new friendships. Ultimately, taking proactive steps to reduce loneliness can promote not only emotional well-being, but also physical health and longevity.
