loneliness

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Three Ways Tech Makes Us Lonelier
Three Ways Tech
Makes Us Lonelier
Nov 17, 2024 5:00 PM CST

Three Ways Tech Makes Us Lonelier

New York Times columnist calls out binge-watching, texting, and social media comparisons

(Newser) - Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared loneliness an epidemic in America last year, inciting a frenzy of studies on the root for this social shift. For the New York Times , tech columnist Brian X. Cheng writes that this sent him down a "rabbit hole" of his own as he...

Emerging Theory: 'Loneliness Is a Symptom of Dementia'

Meta-analysis finds condition boosts risk of cognitive impairment by 15% and dementia by 31%

(Newser) - Loneliness isn't just associated with a higher risk of death , but also a higher risk of dementia, new research suggests. A meta-analysis of 21 studies involving more than 600,000 people finds loneliness is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia from any cause. Participants were...

Times Tech Writer Hangs With 18 AI Friends for a Month

Kevin Roose explores the growing 'companion' business, sees a way it can be helpful

(Newser) - You may remember Kevin Roose as the New York Times tech writer who got a little freaked out when the Bing AI chatbot tried to undermine his marriage. Now Roose is back with a Times story about how he hung out with a crew of AI "companions." He...

Therapy May Not Be the Answer to Your Mental Health Woes

Clinical psychologist Emily Edlynn says venting to a professional might not be for everyone

(Newser) - If you've been having a hard time dealing with life's stresses or anxiety, or even loneliness, making an appointment with a therapist might seem the reasonable thing to do. Not so fast, advises Emily Edlynn, a clinical psychologist who cautions that therapy shouldn't be the default for...

Monthly Visits Could Be a Lifeline in Loneliness Epidemic
Research Suggests
Loneliness Can Be Deadly
NEW STUDY
Nov 10, 2023 12:58 PM CST

Research Suggests Loneliness Can Be Deadly

Study links social isolation with increased risk of death, but even infrequent visits help

(Newser) - If you haven't seen your older loved ones in a while, now might be the time to pop over. New research, adding to a growing focus on what some call an " epidemic of loneliness ," shows people who live alone and don't receive visits from friends or...

Kayaker Stumbles on Stranded Sheep, 'Britain's Loneliest'

Woman first spotted creature at bottom of Scottish cliff in 2021, then again recently

(Newser) - A kayaker has made what she calls a "heart-rending" discovery: a sheep she believes has been stuck at the bottom of a Scottish cliff, by itself, for quite some time. Now, Jillian Turner is pleading for help for the woolly creature. The Brora resident tells the Northern Times that...

US' Top Doc: We Need to 'Pull Back the Curtain' on This Risk

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says widespread loneliness can be as risky to health as smoking

(Newser) - Widespread loneliness in the US poses health risks as deadly as smoking a dozen cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually, the US surgeon general said Tuesday in declaring the latest public health epidemic. About half of US adults say they've experienced loneliness, Dr. Vivek Murthy...

People in Dense Cities Feel Lonelier
As Housing Density Increases,
So Does Loneliness
NEW STUDY
Aug 2, 2021 2:52 PM CDT

As Housing Density Increases, So Does Loneliness

Isolation 'endemic' in 21st-century cities

(Newser) - People in Britain's cities—especially men and the elderly—feel lonelier when they are surrounded by more people, according to researchers who analyzed health data on more than 400,000 people in 22 cities. They found that for every 1,000 housing units within a kilometer—0.62 miles—...

Suicide Spiraling, Japan Gets a 'Minister of Loneliness'

Development follows uptick in deaths, social isolation

(Newser) - Japan has appointed a minister of loneliness amidst a global pandemic and a rise in suicide. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga tapped minister Tetsushi Sakamoto, who is also in charge of combating a declining birth rate and reviving regional economies, for the new post at a Feb. 12 press conference, reports...

Who's the Loneliest at the Office? The Youngest Workers

Cigna survey finds Gen Zers, millennials feel the most distant from their co-workers

(Newser) - Young people aren't feeling the love at work, and it's not because they don't get along with their bosses—they just feel lonelier in the office than older people do. The Wall Street Journal reports on a "Loneliness Index" released by health insurer Cigna on Thursday...

If UK Has Its Way, No One Will Be Lonely Again

PM Theresa May announces a minister of loneliness to address this public health issue

(Newser) - There's a rampant health issue in Britain that may be worse for one's health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and PM Theresa May has just appointed a person to address it. "For far too many people, loneliness is the sad reality of modern life," May...

How Being Lonely Can Be as Bad for Your Health as Smoking

And social isolation and loneliness may carry even more mortality risk than obesity

(Newser) - Being lonely won't just make you feel sad—it may also endanger your life. In fact, researchers now say that people steeped in social isolation (including those who live by themselves) and a lack of connection with others can suffer just as much of a mortality risk as someone...

Even Subtle Loneliness Could Betray Early Onset Alzheimer's

People with high levels of amyloid were far more likely to feel lonely

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered a link between the levels of amyloid plaque in the brains of otherwise healthy seniors and feelings of loneliness, and the connection is strong enough to suggest possible screening. Reporting in the journal JAMA Psychiatry , researchers say that among the 43 women and 36 men they examined,...

Study: Loneliness, Social Isolation Are Bad for Our Hearts

They may dramatically increase risk of heart attacks and strokes

(Newser) - Sgt. Pepper better have good insurance because—if its name is accurate—his Lonely Hearts Club Band has a dramatically increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. According to a study published Monday in Heart, people who feel lonely or are socially isolated have a 29% increase in risk of...

Health Risks Predicted in 'Loneliness Epidemic'

BYU researchers say isolation affects mortality as much as obesity

(Newser) - Being a loner can ruin your health as much as obesity, say researchers. The new study out of Brigham Young University warns that loneliness and social isolation can affect longevity as severely as more common health risks, reports the Salt Lake Tribune . The effect is more pronounced among young people,...

9% of Us Lack Close Friends
 9% of Us Lack 
 Close Friends 
Aug 24, 2014 7:37 AM CDT

9% of Us Lack Close Friends

UK study's results about right for the US, too: expert

(Newser) - Having no close buddies might sound lonely, but it's not so rare—at least not according to a British study that finds that almost one in 10 people lack close friends. In other words, about 4.7 million Britons don't have BFFs, the Guardian notes; that's a...

Hey, Pope Francis: Kids Aren't a Retirement Plan

Adults who have kids can still be plenty lonely, writes Keli Goff

(Newser) - Pope Francis recently exhorted his followers to have kids , saying that to do otherwise would lead to "old age in solitude, with the bitterness of loneliness." Well Keli Goff at the Daily Beast has some news for the pontiff: "Children are not a surefire way to inoculate...

Lonely? You May Not Live as Long
 Lonely? You May 
 Not Live as Long 
in case you missed it
Jun 23, 2012 7:00 PM CDT

Lonely? You May Not Live as Long

Those who live alone also at risk of early death: studies

(Newser) - Loneliness and living alone may actually affect your longevity, according to two new studies in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The first found that participants ages 45 and up who had or were at risk of developing heart disease were more likely to die from heart complications if they lived...

No, Facebook Isn't Creating a Nation of Lonely Souls

Slate essayist disagrees with cover story in 'Atlantic'

(Newser) - The Atlantic's cover story is a much-discussed piece by novelist Stephen Marche, who concludes that Americans in the age of Facebook "have never been more detached from one another, or lonelier." It's strong stuff, but it's just the latest entry in a long list of...

As Americans Get More Self-Centered, So Do Lyrics

Study finds increasingly narcissistic words in top 10 hits

(Newser) - Today’s hit songs aren’t about “us”—they’re just about “me,” a study finds. Researchers examined Billboard’s top 10 songs in the US each year from 1980 to 2007, and found that “popular music lyrics now include more words related to a...

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