Being lonely 'can kill you', research shows

Guess I am going to live 3.7 years shorter then - not that it really matters to me. I consider myself as my own best friend. Makes sense to me. I am happy to be alone with "me". We agree about almost everything and if there is a problem, we sort it out quick-quick or agree to disagree. Me is never complaining if I want to do something - always agree with whatever suits my fancy. Does not complain if I get up early in the morning or get to bed late at night - great to have someone that accepts me just the way I am - no questions asked. Must say, great relationship I have with "me" - very little space for someone else in this relationship.

reply to post by FlyersFan


Not only do "stupid people" get your blood pressure up, they're likely to do the killing. Star to you. I hate the city and only venture there when I have to.

Clubs? Not. Social gatherings? Not. I will go to church and classes but beside this, I second the vote to go to the mountains or on the beach at 0300 hrs. Such peace and quiet.

Today reasearchers find that loneliness kills you. Tomorrow researchers will find that family can kill you faster.

reply to post by Ysterlong


Great reply and I must say I wholeheartly agree!

So from the other study about meat and dying.. I can not talk to people and become a vegan and all is well..

4 yrs out of your life is a drop in the bucket.. I have a good change of getting hit by a car walking out my door..

So what.. Your going to die.. Have fun till you get to that point.. If you dont want to hang with people then fine.. I prefer binary friend than real friends cause then I can just turn them off if they get annoying.

reply to post by ThichHeaded


That's funny that's exactly what I wrote in the meat thread. You could get hit by a bus crossing the street. That old chestnut!

Ultimately we are talking about 3.7 years increase by not being lonely as they describe it. Really? Is it that important to add 3.7 years to a natural, long life? If we are talking death by natural causes at the end of a life, lots of folks would be happy to give up that 3.7 years.

Muzzleflash or someone else said it well by essentially saying that even if you have people in your life it doesn't mean you won't be lonely. Some folks are always lonely no matter how many people are in their lives. Others are never or rarely lonely even with only one or two people in their lives. It all boils down to an individual's needs doesn't it?

It depresses me when my parents say that I need to go out more and be more sociable with people. Go out with your friends. Do something fun. I do get very bored on certain days where I don't want to do anything but sleep. But usually yeah I just see people everyday anyway at work. I want to focus on what I want to do instead. Or go out with someone if they ask. I'm just a little shy when I ask to hang out.

Originally posted by muzzleflash
This actually doesn't make too much sense.

You can spend your whole life around people and still be lonely.

Good point and true.

Connecting with others is key.

reply to post by Big Raging Loner


As-Salāmu `Alayk(a) —Peace be upon you

we have a hormone in our brain which is called oxytocin, when it decreases, we get sick likely...
And correct me if im wrong... But use the study and don´t get lonely.. We should support eachother... Because we wont last forever..

Yeah? Well me being surrounded by (Plural for the less polite word for rectum) who constantly get on my nerves with their driving with a phone in one hand and a $5 coffee in the other could get them killed, and one of these days probably will, so they should be glad for the reprieve that me being shut up in my house 90% of the time grants them. ;-P

True, depression can kick in and be hell on the human mind or whatnot... But seriously, if people started turning into zombies, this antisocial behavior is ideal! lol. Always a silver lining...

Oh damn...

so this means im dead soon

reply to post by Big Raging Loner


Geez, everything's bad for you or will kill you.

Did they also research people with tons of friends? I bet the drama from maintaining all of those friendships would be enough to kill someone.

I visit family more often than I used to. At least I'm not shacking up with some chick just to avoid being lonely. I know people who do that and they're some of the unhappiest people I've ever known.

Wow, the replies to this are kind of surprising, to be honest.

Loneliness, for some people, can be a terrible thing, psychologically - especially as one ages. To deny that it could have an effect on longevity is to deny a link between mind and body. How many studies over the years have shown the healing power of the mind? A lot. If you accept any of those, you should accept that the opposite could also be true.

reply to post by Nyteskye


I am not disputing that for a second, to be sure. What I am saying is that 3.7 years out of a lifetime are not much really, and that while it is a general truth, individual circumstances vary and will change those results in real-time.

Things just aren't so cut and dry, black and white for me. Reality lives in the grey areas for most of us.

Originally posted by SeekerofTruth101
It's only stats, of a certain demographic, within a country. So you trust such stats?

If someone has lead such a sad life and they truly feel that they should die, it is possible for them to die within their sleep without any prior physical complications. Most people solve loneliness by filling in the emptiness in their lives by giving in to various temptations, but those who hold out are inevitably left with nothing... without a present, how can you have a future?

I figure you get maybe 2 to 3 real true friends in a lifetime, and maybe one true love of your life if you are lucky and not too stupid to miss it when it comes along.


Aside from that, we are all just aquaintances passing one another on the busy highway of life.

Loneliness is a guaranteed constant, one of the few certainties of existence in this old world.

Every man is born into this world alone and every man leaves out the same way he came in - kicking and screaming and entirely alone.

reply to post by Big Raging Loner

Sometimes it's the best thing, I cherish the moments I have alone, It makes me learn better, see things without influence. It makes me wonder all alone in the house. And yes I get to have all the porn. Then I get to learn other things. I get to build everything from scratch in everything I do. The more lonley I stay the more creative I become.

I chose to live my life in solitude. When you get used to it you love it.

Just look at old couples: When one dies, the other is usually next.
When I've been lonely I haven’t eaten properly, exercised or enjoyed life in general, depression sometimes sets in. None of these things are good for physical health, I wouldn’t be surprised if even blood pressure is different. So with that in mind it would be surprising if being lonely didn’t shave years of your life.

Isn't that a blessing. If you think life sucks and you die quicker, isn't that a good thing? And the people who enjoy life live longer.