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Loneliness is as Bad For You as Smoking 15 Cigarettes a Day, Experts Say

BYYassine Hariss

November 30, 2023

Once a collateral damage of the COVID-19 pandemic, the feeling of prolonged solitude, which was induced by months of lockdown in 2020, has apparently managed to stick around as it reportedly still affects large portions of the planet’s population. In fact, feelings of isolation happen to be so prevalent that the World Health Organization (WHO) has described loneliness as a “global public health concern” as harmful as smoking the equivalent of 15 cigarettes per day.

Following a report commissioned by the WHO — led by US surgeon Dr. Vivek Murthy and African Union Commission’s Youth Envoy Chido Mpemba — the data found that loneliness impacts people from all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities, proving that no segment of society is immune to social seclusion.

In numbers, the study showed that the rates of one in four individuals experiencing loneliness are more or less the same all around the world, although higher in the Eastern Mediterranean. The region also boasts the highest level of isolation amongst adolescents, with 14.4% claiming to suffer from loneliness. The region was followed by Africa, where 12.7% of people reportedly experience social isolation.

“Loneliness and isolation represent profound threats to our health and wellbeing – as individuals and societies. Rebuilding social connection must now be a public health priority… it will require reorienting ourselves, our communities, and our institutions to prioritize human connection and healthy relationships,” Murthy wrote in his letter to the report

The commission also gathered information on how lack of social connection can have higher mortality rates than drinking six alcoholic drinks a day, physical inactivity, obesity, and air pollution— elements which the above-mentioned regions have to contend with as well. Chronic loneliness can also increase the risk of dementia by 50% and it is the strongest predictor of suicidal ideation.

As our daily and social lives keep on leaning towards the digital realm, one can only wonder whether a viable and sustainable solution can exist to prevent individuals from further keeping themselves away from others. “If we fail to build a more connected society and live more connected lives, we will pay an ever-increasing price in the form of our individual and collective health and well-being,” Murthy wrote. “Instead of coming together to take on the great challenges before us, we will further retreat to our corners—angry, sick, and alone.”

Loneliness is as Bad For You as Smoking 15 Cigarettes a Day, Experts Say

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Loneliness is as Bad For You as Smoking 15 Cigarettes a Day, Experts Say

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