Socially Isolated, Lonely People More Likely To Die Early

People who are lonely or socially isolated have a dramatically increased risk of early death, according to a large meta-analysis of 90 studies. Overall, social isolation increased the risk of early death by 32%, and loneliness increased the risk of death by 14%.

Social isolation increased the risk of someone dying of cancer by 24%, or of heart problems by 34%. Loneliness increased the risk of someone dying of cancer by 9%.

Social isolation also increased the risk of dying from any cause for people with heart problems by 28%, and those with heart problems also had a 51 . . .