2. Connection as a biological necessity
While most of us see socializing as the “icing on the cake” in terms of our health, for the eighty-year-olds, socialization is the main entree.
Loneliness is more than just an emotional experience; it’s a physical stressor. For instance, you’ve probably come across the shocking claim that feeling lonely is comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes per day. And it isn’t an exaggeration. Chronic isolation maintains the body in a constant state of “high alert” and leads to high levels of cortisol and systemic inflammation, which affects the heart and brain.
