Yahoo Lifestyle 
Study says being single is deadlier than obesity
As if single folk don’t have enough people telling them they should be out there finding their soulmate, now a new study has added even more pressure.
Experts have now warned that loneliness should be considered a public health risk, as it is deadlier than obesity.
According to the New York Post, researchers in the US looked at 218 studies into the health effects of loneliness and social isolation.
As a result, they discovered that people with bad social connections have a 50 per cent higher risk of an early death than those with good connections.
“Being connected to others socially is widely considered a fundamental human need, crucial to both well-being and survival,” Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, lead author and professor of psychology at Brigham Young University, told the Post.
It was also discovered that social isolation raised a person’s risk of death by 50 per cent, whereas obesity only raises it by 30 per cent.
Dr Holt-Lunstad highlighted that this is why social isolation or solitary confinement are sometimes used as a form of punishment.
“There is robust evidence that social isolation and loneliness significantly increase risk for premature mortality, and the magnitude of the risk exceeds that of many leading health indicators,” she said.
“Indeed, many nations around the world now suggest we are facing a ‘loneliness epidemic’.”
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