AsapSCIENCE - Can Loneliness Kill You?

Short Summary

Main recommendation: If you feel lonely, treat it as a real health signal and take small steps to increase meaningful social connection, such as making more intentional eye contact with people you know or pass on the street. The video argues that chronic loneliness is linked to measurable physical harm and a higher risk of death, comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, while noting that loneliness is subjective and not the same as being a loner.

Key Points

• Loneliness is described as a psychological mechanism that motivates seeking social interaction; it is subjective, so feeling lonely means you are lonely, regardless of how many friends you have.
• The video states loneliness has doubled in America since the 1980s, with more than 40% of adults saying they are lonely, and a recent study found young people aged 16-24 felt lonely more than any other adult group.
• In a study where participants were given nasal drops with the common cold virus and quarantined for five days, those who reported higher loneliness beforehand reported more severe cold symptoms.
• Brain scans showed that highly lonely people had a stronger reward-system response to a picture of a loved one, suggesting lonely people long for more social interaction rather than lacking close relationships.
• Chronic loneliness is linked to 209 different gene expressions in some white blood cells, including increased pro-inflammatory activity, with poor social relationships associated with a 29% increase in coronary heart disease and a 32% increase in stroke.

Details Worth Noting

• Concrete instructions: Try to make more intentional eye contact, whether with people you already know or with a passerby on the street, since eye contact is described as a gesture that makes both people feel more connected to humankind.
• People with strong social relationships are said to have a 50% increased likelihood of survival overall, which the video compares to the mortality risk of smoking 15 cigarettes a day, lack of exercise, or obesity.
• The video suggests the increased number of lonely people may be related to shifts in culture, with global capitalism and its focus on the individual having changed people's ability to access social connection.
• Loneliness is framed as usually not a reflection of a person's likability.
• These health claims are presented as reported by the video and are not professional medical advice.

Bottom Line

Loneliness is a subjective but potentially serious health factor, and even small, intentional social contact may help counter it.