Seniors who stay busy with a lot of social interaction are the happiest and healthiest. Any psychiatrist or professional who works closely with the elderly will tell you this from their own anecdotal experience. Now this is born out scientifically through the new results of a study conducted at the University of Chicago. The five year study was financed by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a branch of the National Institute of Health. This study, and others like it, become especially relevant as the population ages and census figures show more and more Americans living alone. The US Census Bureau projects that by 2010, 31 million Americans will be living alone, a 40 percent increase from 1980.

In November 2001, the Institute for Mind and Biology at the University of Chicago received a $7.5 million grant for its project, “Social Isolation, Loneliness, Health and the Aging Process.” More than a dozen researchers were involved in the project, led by Louise Hawkley and Christopher Masi. Data from the study were released this week and published in the journal Psychology and Aging. The study was based on data obtained over a five year period from about 230 adults between the ages of 50 and 68. Care was taken to separate out other factors such as age, lifestyle, race and gender. This was an interdisciplinary project with three components; sociological, psychological, and biological. Results of the study show that blood pressure averages as much as 30 points higher in those who are alone, as others with higher rates of social interaction. The magnitude of the difference is a surprise to the team of scientists. Said Hawkley of the results, “Weight loss and physical exercise reduce blood pressure by the same amount that loneliness increases it.” High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease.

This study is more evidence of what counselors and social workers see through their daily experience working with individuals and families. We are all hard-wired for social interaction. We were genetically designed to operate in groups, the most important of which is the family unit. Said John Cacioppo, who started on the research project in 2001, “This is not simply about being alone. Some people can be physically isolated, yet not feel a sense of loneliness. Conversely, people can be married and have children, yet perceive themselves to be socially isolated or disconnected.” The best protection we can take against the adverse health effects of loneliness, is Time. Take the time to develop our relationships to a deeper, more empathetic level.

This and other articles can be found at http://docwatsontoppicks.com, a relationship resource site.

[tags]loneliness, blood pressure, heart disease[/tags]

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