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Why connecting with others is good for your health
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-good-health.html(Not sure if this is the right forum or not. Seems like there should be one on "loneliness"
A third of U.S. adults are lonely, and a quarter lack social and emotional supportâ€â€and research underscores that's just not healthy.
"Humans are a social species. We are highly dependent on others from birth," said Elizabeth Necka, an expert on social and behavioral science at the National Institutes of Health. "So feeling socially isolated can make you feel as though you're in a very stressful situation."
And, she told NIH News in Health, stress is linked to serious health issues.
People who feel lonely or are isolated socially are not only more apt than others to develop heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, depression or anxiety, their risk for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and even early death is also higher.
But there's good news: Growing evidence suggests that social connections are good for your health--both mentally and physically.
Researchers are working to parse out the links between health and social bonds--as well as ways to counteract the effects of social isolation and loneliness.
The two aren't quite the same. Social isolation means you have few connections with others; loneliness is how you feel when you're alone.
. . .
And, she told NIH News in Health, stress is linked to serious health issues.
People who feel lonely or are isolated socially are not only more apt than others to develop heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, depression or anxiety, their risk for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and even early death is also higher.
But there's good news: Growing evidence suggests that social connections are good for your health--both mentally and physically.
Researchers are working to parse out the links between health and social bonds--as well as ways to counteract the effects of social isolation and loneliness.
The two aren't quite the same. Social isolation means you have few connections with others; loneliness is how you feel when you're alone.
. . .
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