Meta-analysis of 2.2M people: Loneliness increases mortality risk by 32%
5 hours ago
- #loneliness
- #public-health
- #mental-health
- Loneliness increases mortality risk by 32% and dementia risk by 31%, with proven biological pathways.
- Evidence-based interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and community programs show measurable success.
- Mindfulness programs can reduce daily loneliness by 22% in just 14 days.
- Community-based social prescribing in the UK has reached 9.4 million healthcare visits.
- Loneliness triggers biological cascades involving 175 disease-related proteins and chronic inflammation.
- Epigenetic aging accelerates in lonely individuals, affecting inflammatory and metabolic pathways.
- Multi-component interventions combining social skills training and cognitive restructuring have an 85% success rate.
- Animal-assisted interventions are 100% effective in studies with older adults.
- Loneliness is treatable with targeted interventions, saving healthcare costs and improving quality of life.