New research shows that loneliness is associated with dysfunctional immune responses, suggesting that it may have a negative effect on overall health.
Specifically, researchers found that people who described themselves as lonely showed signs of elevated herpes simplex virus reactivation and produced more inflammatory proteins in response to acute stress. Continuous inflammation may have problematic consequences, as it has been linked to coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and premature death.
It was shown that lonelier participants had stronger reactions to antibodies against the cytomegalovirus, a type of herpes simplex virus, and this was related to increased levels of pain, depression and fatigue symptoms. This indicates that the stress associated with loneliness is strongly reactivating the virus.
Study participants who described themselves as lonelier also had higher levels of pro-inflammatory types of cytokine proteins in response to a stressful task.
Continued research in assessing the impact of loneliness on overall health is important to heighten understanding of this relationship and perhaps intervene the negative effects.
