The Hidden Benefits of Friendship (page 2 of 2)

The impact of sadness
How does loneliness exert a physical effect powerful enough to increase the risk of illness and death? Lonely people secrete an excessive amount of cortisol, a stress hormone that can cause immune system suppression. When loneliness is compounded by day-to-day coping difficulties, cortisol levels rise even higher and the risk of developing a stress-related disease, such as high blood pressure, grows.

Bereavement, which often leads to loneliness, is closely associated with suppressed immune function. In the first two years after being widowed, men and women (but particularly men) have below-normal levels of immune system activity. Lonely people take longer to recover from minor illnesses and surgery and suffer higher rates of complications than people with many friends.

Reach out and talk to someone

Social support can stress-proof the immune system, according to one US study carried out with medical students as subjects. During final examinations, certain types of cells in the students’ immune systems became ineffective. Those with strong ties to family and friends fared best.

Make contact with an old school friend or a favourite cousin you haven’t seen in years. Renewing past relationships links you to your own history. Or turn a hobby, such as reading or golf, into an opportunity to make friends with shared interests. Check your local library to find a reading group or organise a new group yourself.

Did you know?
Diversify your relationships and you may boost your resistance to cold viruses. Research shows that people with six or more types of relationships (close friends, co-workers, even exercise buddies) are 25 per cent less likely to get sick than those with three or fewer.

The Hidden Benefits of Friendship (page 2 of 2)

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