Dr. Dhruv Khullar has seen a variety of patients at the beginning and end of their lives suffering from an illness alone. Recently social isolation has been recognized as having serious physical, mental and emotional outcomes. Social Isolation is now being considered an epidemic, with 40% of American adults admitting that they are lonely. This number is double the 20% recorded in 1980. A separate study by sociologist, Victor Tan Chen, shows that individuals without a college education are more likely to have a person to discuss important personal matters with. The side effects have become clearer with recent studies showing that a lack of social connection can cause:
Disrupted sleep patterns
Altered immune systems
More inflammation
Higher levels of stress hormones
These declines in health can be ignited early in life. Socially isolated children have resulted in poorer health later in their lives. It's clear that loneliness should be treated with the same attention as smoking or obesity. The cure is a difficult solution however, because it takes a specific level of courage to admit loneliness. Unlike a chronic physical illness that can't be ignored, loneliness can go unreported. Many people choose not to ask for help with loneliness because it hold a similar social stigma to mental illness. Dr. Khullar explains the problem, "It attacks our basic instincts to save face, and makes it hard to ask for help".
The research shows that loneliness doesn't necessarily stem from poor social skills or a lack of social support. The problem can come from an unusual sensitivity to social cues. Loneliness can be caused by the false perception of ambiguous social cues being negative. The individual will often isolate themselves to avoid these relationships which ignites a chain of isolation in their social circle.
The answer to the epidemic is challenging, but some fascinating strides have been made recently. For example, Dr. Paul Tang of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation started a program called linkAges. The program aims to mix age groups with the idea that everyone has something to offer another person. The program works by having members post on the site something that they need help with. For example, a college student could post that they need help writing a resume. Then an older more experienced person can respond and meet with them to help work on their resume. By helping someone else you "bank" hours, and can then use those hours to get help on something else. The site is an innovative way of taking the digital age and creating a positive spin that embraces human connection rather than deterring it.
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