Although loneliness is certainly damaging to health, there are many other ways of measuring its harmful impacts, say these researchers.
The researchers also pointed out that the health risks of loneliness are similar to alcohol consumption and exceed other risk factors, such as physical inactivity and obesity. Yet these comparisons are rarely mentioned in the media or keynote speeches as they don’t have the same impact as smoking.
The smoking comparison also has the potential to add to the burden of people who feel lonely and exacerbate the stigma associated with loneliness. However, the effectiveness of the analogy cannot be underestimated. Thirteen years on, the paper continues to raise awareness about loneliness and the associated damaging health consequences.
Mental health conditions can also be triggered by loneliness, including loss of hope, depression, problems with sleep, alcohol abuse and other psychiatric disorders. Lonely people also have heightened sensitivity to social threats. It is believed loneliness has an evolutionary function that is felt in a similar way to hunger or thirst and is a signal to people to change their lifestyle and social connections. However, when loneliness becomes chronic it can be different to break out of and for people to know how to overcome the negative feelings they are experiencing.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Commentary: What Singapore football needs now is accountability, not better playersAfter the SEA Games debacle, the Football Association of Singapore has a duty to answer questions and make bold changes, says CNA’s Stanley Ho.
Read more »
Commentary: The unstoppable advance of the acronymResistance to irksome abbreviations has proved futile so let’s enjoy the best of them, says the Financial Times' Pilita Clark.
Read more »
Commentary: TikTok promotes vaping as a fun, safe and socially accepted pastime - and omits the harmsMost social media platforms have content policies that expressly prohibit the promotion of tobacco product use, including e-cigarettes, but these are routinely violated with little or no consequences, say these academics from Curtin University.
Read more »
Commentary: How to boost Singapore’s recycling rates? Improving last-mile delivery is keySingapore’s woes with recycling continue as the domestic recycling rate in 2022 fell to 12 per cent, the lowest in more than a decade. In 2021, the recycling rate stood at 13 per cent.
Read more »
Commentary: Amid graft probe in Malaysia, migrant labour reform becomes an urgent challenge for Anwar’s governmentA widening corruption probe at the Human Resource Ministry is bringing to focus fundamental flaws in Malaysia’s foreign worker recruitment ecosystem. CNA’s Leslie Lopez looks at how this can be an opportunity for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government to bring a sledgehammer to the current system.
Read more »
Malaysia PM Anwar defends decision to extend anti-graft chief's employment contractKUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has defended his decision to extend the employment contract of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Azam Baki. In a press conference on Monday (May 15), Mr Anwar said that although issues were raised in the past, he observed that Mr Azam’s
Read more »