Loneliness can have the same health consequences as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, says a resolution based on research.
In an era where mobiles and social media have taken over lives, loneliness has become a big issue. It may sound ironic that amidst all the cacophony and avalanche of messages through social media platforms, interpersonal communication has become a big casualty leading to loneliness. A series of lockdowns during the Covid lockdowns have only exacerbated the issue.
Now comes the news that San Mateo County in California state in the US has become the first county in the country to recognise loneliness as a public health emergency.
The county Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a resolution introduced by Supervisor David Canepa declaring loneliness a health emergency.
In the resolution, Canepa detailed out several strategies to address loneliness including strengthening social infrastructure, implementing pro-connection public policies, mobilising the health sector, conducting research to deepen knowledge, reforming online environments and fostering a culture of connection.
“Many people are suffering alone in silence, and there’s no cure for it,” Canepa was quoted in the media.
“Loneliness, isolation and lack of connection can lead to profound health impacts, sending many of our most vulnerable residents on the path to homelessness, as observed in the county’s one-day homeless count conducted last week,” he added.
Canepa has now written a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, requesting he appoint a “minister of loneliness” for California.
“They say loneliness can have the same health consequences as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, an alarming fact that I think should be addressed by the state through the establishment of a Minister of Loneliness similar to what the UK and Japan have instituted,” Canepa said.
In 2018, former UK Prime Minister Theresa May, for the first time in the world, appointed a minister to tackle loneliness in the country.
In Japan, a task force is being set up coming April to create policies addressing loneliness and social isolation.
However, some researchers point out that loneliness may be a natural part of the human experience. But the resolution by San Mateo County has pointed out that loneliness has major health consequences and is based on scientific research.
In 2017, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned of a “loneliness epidemic” sweeping across the US and BBC News termed loneliness a “hidden killer of the elderly.”
Dr. Murthy highlighted that loneliness can up the risk of heart disease by 29%, stroke by 32%, and increases the likelihood of developing dementia by 50%. He also emphasized that lacking social connection elevates the risk of premature death by more than 60%.
“Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health. Our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding in plain sight – one that can help us live healthier, more fulfilled, and more productive lives,” said Dr. Murthy.
“Given the significant health consequences of loneliness and isolation, we must prioritise building social connections the same way we have prioritised other critical public health issues such as tobacco, obesity, and substance use disorders. Together, we can build a country that’s healthier, more resilient, less lonely, and more connected.”
While there is no recent data on loneliness in India, earlier research, like the one published by Aspen Institute (Loneliness in India: Recognising the role of history, technology, culture, by Kristine Gloria, Jan 2022) suggests that loneliness in not just a problem of industrialised nations, but even that of developing countries like India.
Between 2017-18, the first wave of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) studied close to 72,000 people from 35 States and Union Territories — 20.5% of adults aged 45 years and above reported moderate loneliness, and 13.3% were severely lonely.
