New study says loneliness is as much of a health hazard as obesity

www.rawstory.com...

A public health epidemic of loneliness may be afoot. A new study from Brigham Young University has found loneliness and social isolation can predict early death similar to the risks predicted by obesity.

Thirty years ago, the issue of obesity was still in its infancy. America was indeed getting fatter, but the extent to which our health was declining earned little attention. Now the obesity epidemic sits front-and-center, as more than a third of the country is obese and more than two-thirds is overweight. Unfortunately, with much of the spotlight on physical health, mental health continues to suffer largely in the dark.

This can't be good....

How we socialize, or choose not to, seems to play a deciding role, says BYU psychology researcher and co-author of the study, Tim Smith. "Not only are we at the highest recorded rate of living alone across the entire century, but we're at the highest recorded rates ever on the planet," Smith said in a statement. As communication goes global, the means by which we connect to people — even those who are within walking distance — are making a digital migration. Conversation is changing, and sometimes going away for good.

For many years I suffered from depression, loneliness and alcoholism. Thoughts of suicide were always with me. What I find astonishing is that I was married, ran and owned a successful business, and seemingly had a lot of friends but was always alone even in a crowded social situation. But overnight I changed my outlook on life and was able to see how blessed I really was. Epiphany is a curious thing and can be a result of the most common place events.

It's not difficult to see how loneliness and obesity can create a viscous circle of mental illness.

You don't have to be alone to feel on your own, and some people are happiest in their own company. Who gets to decide whether these people are suffering some kind of malady?

I'm never lonely, I have me, myself, and I to keep me company. There are also spiders, bugs, deer, and squirrels out there to talk to. You can also talk to trees and plants and they never contradict you. That is because they are smarter than people and know talking too much will get you in trouble.

originally posted by: IvanAstikov
You don't have to be alone to feel on your own, and some people are happiest in their own company. Who gets to decide whether these people are suffering some kind of malady?

I think it's a matter of self determination. However I know plenty of people that claim to enjoy being alone but they are always at the Bar seeking companionship. Curious that....

on a footnote...
Some people deserve to be alone because they have a toxic personality and enjoy making others unhappy.

An "early death" can be caused by many things.

A new study from Brigham Young University has found loneliness and social isolation can predict early death…

Hear that everyone? You are all going to die of loneliness. Stop searching for truth at your keyboard. Higher learning institutions always say stuff like that.. They want to impart the message that being off by ones self is unacceptable.

pfft…

Theres nothing wrong with being an independent thinker, marching to the beat of a different drummer, swimming against the current, going against the grain, etc.

Most 'higher learning' is directed at making people part of the whole.

I'd say it but probably get banned, you know what B.S., M.S. and P.H.D. stand for, don't you?

When your left alone long enough, you start chasing your own shadow.

a reply to: Specimen

Depends whether it's forced or chosen isolation.

a reply to: IvanAstikov

It the end result really.

a reply to: Specimen

What is the end result? Chasing shadows? Do you have some kind of cite for that, or did you read it on the back of a cereal box?

a reply to: IvanAstikov

Loneliness can lead to alot things, maybe you should figure that out.

And it was on cereal box.

I hate having to be in the company of other people except for a chosen few. The others just tend to be a PITA after a while. They're so needy and get uncomfortable if I don't conform to what they're doing or they don't want to conform with me.

a reply to: IvanAstikov

Also it site since were so right .

originally posted by: rickymouse
I'm never lonely, I have me, myself, and I to keep me company. There are also spiders, bugs, deer, and squirrels out there to talk to. You can also talk to trees and plants and they never contradict you. That is because they are smarter than people and know talking too much will get you in trouble.

You reminded me of that recently posed question:
"Can alternative personalities have dreams?"

That last line my friend -- proves you may have stumbled onto a
remote overgrowth of Tolkeinite. Enjoy it slowly, and remember
what happened to Gandalf's looks... he's actually only 49.LOL

Back strictly to the thread.. I suffered a little over 20 years ago
from a giant, crushing depression that spanned maybe most of
my adult life. Then after realizing most of everything I thought
I wanted was actually programming, the enemy transformed from
self to the government. Guess I'd rather be well adjusted and poor.

PS.. Although there are a couple of my family members who would
be hard pressed playin' a game of chess against a dry spider fern.

originally posted by: rickymouse
I'm never lonely, I have me, myself, and I to keep me company. There are also spiders, bugs, deer, and squirrels out there to talk to. You can also talk to trees and plants and they never contradict you.

Let's not forget mans best friend the dog. They'll always listen, protect you and appreciate your side of the story every time. Through thick and thin they will be there for you no matter what.

originally posted by: olaru12


However I know plenty of people that claim to enjoy being alone but they are always at the Bar seeking companionship. Curious that....

That may be just for sexual gratification only. These people might not be interested in anything committed or long term though.

I'm single and live alone. I only have one really good friend. I also quit my retail manager job and now work with animals so I don't even hardly see people. How's that for solitude?

The funny part is that the people I do meet always comment that I seem so happy and relaxed. I think it's how comfortable you are in your own skin and how you view life in general.

Let's see a report on how stressful jobs can contribute to obesity. They are also hurting our health and killing our relationships.

a reply to: texasgirl

Tell me about it. I work only part-time in an environment with three other people. We barely talk to each other most days. One of them was let go today in the middle of the morning. They sent her back to her desk and the boss looked like she was at a funeral the whole morning while the other took most of the day off to avoid it.

It was the most stressful thing ever. I am now drinking, something I hardly ever do because I was stuck in that place for two hours in that atmosphere.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: texasgirl



Tell me about it. I work only part-time in an environment with three other people. We barely talk to each other most days. One of them was let go today in the middle of the morning. They sent her back to her desk and the boss looked like she was at a funeral the whole morning while the other took most of the day off to avoid it.



It was the most stressful thing ever. I am now drinking, something I hardly ever do because I was stuck in that place for two hours in that atmosphere.

Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry for you. Retail can be very stressful and, after almost 25 years as a manager, I finally had to get out. Best decision I ever made!

Only a matter of time before being an introvert is a new form of disease that people deride for it being a health hazard, and then, of course, it will be the same people that are introverts that maybe have a problem with a system that acts like Big Brother.

“I don't want to be alone, I want to be left alone.”
― Audrey Hepburn

Copy that Audrey!

And more wise words...

“I think it's good for a person to spend time alone. It gives them an opportunity to discover who they are and to figure out why they are always alone.”
― Amy Sedaris,

In my youth and early adulthood, I needed constant assurance that what I did, who I was, how I looked, who I associated with, actually mattered. It was that insecurity that led me to self medicate with drugs and alcohol. I would hang with people I despised rather than be alone. Which leads me to another quote...

It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself. anon