Loneliness has long been linked to poor physical health. In 2017, the American Psychological Association (APA) published a study that provided data supporting this claim. Its researchers had 213 participants take two tests to gauge their loneliness scores. The participants then received nasal drops containing rhinovirus 39 (common cold virus) and were put on quarantine for five days.

1. Study: Loneliness Triggers
Somatic Symptoms Among
Seniors
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2. Loneliness has long been linked to poor physical health. In 2017, the American Psychological
Association (APA) published a study that provided data supporting this claim. Its researchers had 213
participants take two tests to gauge their loneliness scores. The participants then received nasal
drops containing rhinovirus 39 (common cold virus) and were put on quarantine for five days.
The researchers asked the participants to report on their perceived symptoms. Using data from 160
of the respondents who qualified based on the study’s criteria for cold infection and assessing their
respective loneliness scores, the researchers found that lonely participants reported more severe
symptoms than the less lonely ones.
The study concludes with a recommendation for further studies on the subject. The researchers
added that the information could help them understand how loneliness affects acute illness
symptoms among the elderly. Their conclusion alludes to older people’s propensity to develop
psychosomatic illnesses.
The Impact of Social Interaction on Health
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) says there's a strong correlation between social interaction and
good health among the elderly. It links social activity with health biomarkers, like low levels of
interleukin-6, an inflammatory factor indicative of age-related disorders like Alzheimer’s,
rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, heart disease, and some types of cancer. Many seniors who are
grandparents also attest to the positive impact of caring for their grandchildren — a form of social
interaction — on their health. They have an active lifestyle, eat better, and reduce vices like
smoking.

3. Functional and Psychosocial Decline Resulting from Loneliness
The NIA also cites social isolation as a risk factor for morbidity and mortality among older adults. The
NIA website states that lonely people have high systolic blood pressure and are at risk for depression.
A few research studies also suggest that loneliness is an epidemic that negatively affects people’s
health.
 A UCLA study found that loneliness causes the monocytes or white blood cells to stay
immature and reduce the body’s ability to protect itself from illnesses.
 Researchers of a study published in Jama International Medicine observed the daily practices
of 44,573 people over four years. They discovered that lonely people were at higher risk of
fatal illnesses than non-lonely people.
 A six-year study, also in Jama International Medicine, correlates loneliness to functional
decline among seniors. It reduces their ability to dress, bathe, walk, climb the stairs, and
perform upper-extremity tasks.
 A study in the Heart journal of the British Cardiovascular Society associated poor social
relationships with elevated risks of coronary heart disease (by 29 percent) and stroke (by 32
percent).
These findings suggest that the lack of social interaction doesn’t just result in somatic symptoms of
illnesses but also affects the physical and mental health of the elderly.

4. Causes of Loneliness and Possible Interventions for Seniors
Understanding why seniors isolate themselves is crucial to addressing their loneliness-induced
somatic symptoms and physical and mental health decline.
The Loneliness and the Aging Population report from the IBM Institute for Business Value cites
mobility issues and physical impairment like loss of sight and hearing as causes for social isolation
and diminishing social interactions among seniors. Loss of family and friends, as well as physical
distance and reduced roles in society also trigger voluntary isolation.
Seniors may avoid loneliness, along with the actual and perceived health problems that come with it,
if they stay engaged in communities where they continue to play important roles. Receiving help
with daily tasks, mobility, and transport also helps them overcome feelings of embarrassment over
their physical impairment. Guardians may provide for these interventions at home while seniors living
alone can receive the aid they need through assisted living or at senior care facilities.

5. Sources:
https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/hea-hea0000467.pdf
https://www.nia.nih.gov/about/living-long-well-21st-century-strategic-directions-research-
aging/research-suggests-positive
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/Loneliness-Is-a-Molecule-UCLA-8214
https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/gb-2007-8-9-r189
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1188041
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1188033
https://heart.bmj.com/content/102/13/1009
http://fpciw.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2017/07/IBM-Loneliness-and-the-aging-
population.pdf
https://healthjournalism.org/blog/2017/03/social-isolation-loneliness-negatively-affect-health-for-
seniors/