I'm Gabe Garza with today's health news. Feeling socially isolated can have physiological consequences
that could affect your life span, a new study found. More specifically, a loneliness expert
at the University of Chicago, found that loneliness may lead to "fight-or-flight stress signaling,"
which might weaken the immune system. Loneliness is hard to measure, so researchers studied
humans and primates in "perceived social isolation." Both the lonely humans and lonely primates
showed reactions that could both weaken the immune system and promote inflammation. Chronic
inflammation has been linked to many aspects of health, including an increased risk of
cancer, bowel disease and heart disease. Overall, compared to people and primates who weren't
lonely, loneliness appeared to raise the risk of premature death from any cause by 14 percent.