Scientists find “feeling lonely” almost doubles the risk of dying

Published on 19/06/2012 00:00

Scientists in the US have discovered that “feeling lonely” almost doubles the risk of dying.

Loneliness was also associated with functional decline and a reduction in day-to-day activities.

Carla Perissinotto, from the University of California: “Loneliness is a common source of suffering in older persons. We demonstrate that it is also a risk factor for poor health outcomes including death and multiple measures of functional decline.”

A separate US study has found a link between living alone and the risk of death from heart disease, after examining data on 44,573 middle-aged participants, 8,594 of whom lived alone.