Mike Carruthers

I'm Mike Carruthers.

Thanks for listening today to Something You Should Know.

Loneliness is a huge topic of concern today.

You see, loneliness isn't just a feeling, it's a health risk.

You can be married, employed, surrounded by people all day long and still feel that quiet sense of disconnection.

Most of us shrug it off as if it's normal.

It's not.

Chronic loneliness does more than dampen your mood.

Research links it to higher risk of heart disease, weakened immunity, cognitive decline, even a shorter lifespan.

Some experts say the health impact of loneliness rivals smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

So what's really happening?

Why is loneliness so biologically powerful?

And why does modern life seem to make it worse, not better?

In my conversation with psychiatrist Dr. Edward Halliwell, we'll explore what loneliness does to your brain and body, and more importantly, what you can do to break out of it.

And that conversation begins right after this.

Loneliness is a feeling I suspect you have felt, everyone has felt, and it is a terrible feeling.

So I thought it would be a good time to tackle the topic of loneliness and how to get rid of it.

And there is no one better to discuss this, I believe, than Dr. Edward Halliwell.

Ned is a psychiatrist who wrote a great book some years ago called Connect, in which he really explored the topic of loneliness and the need for connection.

He also has written several other books about distraction and ADHD.