SOCIAL ISOLATION: Episode 120 | WHO Science in 5 Series

[Music] are you experiencing social isolation or loneliness did you know that it could increase your risk of death by up to 32% we've all experienced some sort of social isolation during the pandemic but some people are living with it how does that impact your health here to talk about it is Alana officer welcome Alana talk to us about loneliness is it possible to have a full Social Diary and still feel lonely I is M great to be here so loneliness refers to the discrepancy between the social connections that you have and those you want both in terms of quantity and quality so yes it is possible to have a full Social Diary with many engagements but for these not to be particularly satisfying for example you may not experience the intimacy that you're seeking or you may not feel valued and respected in those relationships well potentially they may not be fun and enjoyable it's also possible that in some situations you may find that your social connections are dictated more by obligation than by personal choice and in those instances you may have an increased feeling of social isolation or loneliness so you're saying that just because we're socially connected on social media let's say just because we're having many many conversations if those conversations are not positive or nurturing that's not going to improve the feeling of loneliness right so talk to us about what science says uh is the impact of loneliness or social isolation on our health this is an area where we have really quite strong scientific evidence and what it says is that loneliness and social isolation have really significant impacts on mortality and on health for example social isolation and loneliness increase the risk of early death by between 14 and 32% now that's as much as other really well-known risk factors like smoking drinking too much alcohol physical inactivity and obesity but it also increases the risk of poor physical health for example uh increasing the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease by up to about 30% and increasing the risk of mental health problems such as Dementia by up to 50% but also anxiety and depression how about work life and uh accomplishments does loneliness and social isolation also affect that yes so social isolation and loneliness impact extends far beyond health for example in terms of educational and employment opportunities for example people who are not feeling supported or feeling disconnected within the workplace tend to have lower job performance and lower job satisfaction and interestingly current research suggests that these impacts are similar across the world so Alana talked to us about some ways some effective solutions that we can remain socially connected so VI there's lots of things that we can do for example you know investing and nurturing in our existing relationships with family and friend revisiting our priorities and the value that we give to social connection joining Community groups is one opportunity or volunteering or even starting to do an activity in an area that's of Interest whether that be music or sport or art or or reading say hello engage in small talk with neighbors or shopkeepers when you're in conversations minimize distractions put your phone aside or at least not look at it quite so frequently that's an important one right it is and we don't do it enough but the one that I love also is small acts of kindness providing support to to others can often make us feel less lonely and less disconnected but if these don't help it's important to seek support if you're experiencing loneliness and social isolation by identifying resources that are available in your community thank you Elana thank you very much visita that science in five today until next time then stay safe stay healthy and stick with signs [Music]