Bonus: SYSK TRENDING – The Crisis of Loneliness and How to Fix It
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What is the main topic of loneliness discussed in this episode?
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.
How does loneliness affect physical and mental health?
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.
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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. His latest is a bestseller called ADHD 2.0. Hey, Ned. Thanks for being here.
Hello, Mike.
Nice to be with you. So what is loneliness? How do you define it? How do you look at it?
Why is loneliness considered a health risk comparable to smoking?
Lonely is a lot different from being alone. You can be alone and not lonely. You can be alone and reading a book, listening to music, entertaining your fantasies and favorite hopes for the future, and you're not lonely. But you can also be lonely, and that's the active presence of absence. It's like you're feeling what isn't there. It's a terrible feeling. You're feeling that here I am alone.
What are the biological reasons behind the feeling of loneliness?
No one's with me. No one likes me. No one cares about me. Or so-and-so died. Or I miss my dog. Or I wish I were back home. You feel what you're missing.
What practical steps can individuals take to combat loneliness?
I love that definition that you're feeling what isn't there, because as soon as you said that, I could feel it. I mean, that's exactly what it is. It's that absence of something that you want or need or miss or something.
And it's a terrible feeling. It is really bad for you. In fact, the Surgeon General defined loneliness as the number one medical problem in the United States today. Not cancer, not heart disease, loneliness. And most people don't realize how bad it is for you. In fact, social isolation is as dangerous for early death as cigarette smoking. Most people have no idea about that. If you ask them to list risk factors, they'll say cigarette smoking, obesity, genetics, don't wear your seatbelt. Nobody puts down loneliness, but my gosh, it's right near the top of the list. And if people would make it a priority to connect, I call it the other vitamin C, vitamin connect. It is the most powerful force that most people don't make use of.
I urge people, you know, if you go to the supermarket, talk to the guy at the checkout counter. He needs it or she needs it as much as you do.
So help me understand why, what it is about loneliness that makes it so dangerous. Is it the loneliness itself, or when you are lonely you tend to do bad things like drink more, smoke more, eat more, or is there something inherent about loneliness that is harmful?
Well, all of the above. When you're feeling lonely, your immune system suffers and you are putting out stress hormones that are caustic. And then what you also said, you're inclined to try to fill in the emptiness of
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic of loneliness discussed in this episode?
0:02–0:24
2
How does loneliness affect physical and mental health?
0:24–2:21
3
Why is loneliness considered a health risk comparable to smoking?
2:21–2:54
4
What are the biological reasons behind the feeling of loneliness?
2:54–3:05
5
What practical steps can individuals take to combat loneliness?
3:05–22:13
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from Something You Should Know
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Secrets to Getting Great Customer Service & The Curious Story of Remote Controls
SYSK TRENDING - Curious Quirks of the Human Brain