Lonely People Face Higher Risk Of Heart Disease

The lonely students had resistance to blood flow before the stressors too, suggesting that these cardiovascular differences were pervasive.

In a parallel study of older subjects, systolic blood pressure rose with age in lonely men and women while it remained more stable in men and women who were not lonely.

“Differences in the [mechanisms of blood flow] observed throughout the session in younger adults may contribute to elevated blood pressure across time in lonely adults,” says John T. Cacioppo, Ph.D., of the University of Chicago.

Both chronically high blood pressure and vascular resistance have been linked to increased risks of heart disease.

The study also showed that lonely people were no different from the non-lonely in terms of behavioral risk factors such as drinking, smoking, diet and compliance with medical treatments. The authors suggest that this may mean researchers need to look elsewhere to understand the apparent increased risk of disease in the lonely.

For instance, Cacioppo and colleagues found that although lonely individuals slept as many hours as non-lonely individuals, sleep for the lonely was less restorative. They suggest that restorative behaviors in generally may be less effective in lonely than non-lonely individuals.

The first study included 45 male and 44 female undergraduate students from Ohio State University. They were given a questionnaire on loneliness and monitored during one task involving mental arithmetic and one task involving writing and giving a speech to defend themselves against a false accusation of stealing.

Blood pressure before and during these stress-inducing tasks rose similarly for both the lonely and non-lonely students. However, lonely