18/02/2009 14:33
Loneliness ruins health
Being lonely is as ruinous for health as smoking and getting fat. This was the topic of the address delivered at AAAS Annual Conference by the scientists, inauka.ru reports.
According to psychologist John Kocioppo, the state of being far from relatives causes high blood pressure and low immune system. Besides, lonely people often suffer insomnia.
The psychologist mentioned that the excess of cortisol hormone which is often seen among the lonely, may bring about heart attack or even epilepsy.
«We live in a terrible isolation partly because we marry late, have fewer children and, hence, have fewer close people around. Unfortunately, the level of loneliness increases», the psychologist concluded.