Missing Social Connection

The dangers of loneliness and isolation amid COVID-19

An Angus Reid poll of 2,055 Canadians found that 23% of respondents reported feeling lonely and isolated, with a further 10% declaring they felt lonely but not necessarily isolated. Given the recommendations of health authorities across the nation to maintain social distance and self-isolate when necessary, these findings are not altogether surprising. However that poll was conducted in June, 2019 — a full six months before anyone had even heard of the novel coronavirus.

Results from an April 2020 survey of 1006 Canadians by Ipsos paint a starker picture. Seventeen percent of respondents strongly agreed that physical distancing has left them feeling lonely or isolated — 37% somewhat agreed. Put those together and the findings suggest that more than half (54%) of Canadians are experiencing feelings of loneliness or isolation, as a result of preventative measures taken in the wake of COVID-19.

Canadians, it appears, had been feeling lonely before the current pandemic exacerbated the problem. While it’s too early to understand the specific impacts on mental and physical health due to social distancing and isolation amid COVID-19, research on the negative outcomes of loneliness and the positive effects of social connection helps us understand why feeling connected to others is beneficial to our overall health.

Impacts of loneliness

Inflammatory diseases

A 2014 review of the psychological and physical effects of loneliness published in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research asserts that chronic stress associated with loneliness can cause low-grade inflammation that brings with it a host of potential medical implications. Low-grade inflammation had been linked to inflammatory diseases. Among the inflammatory diseases are autoimmune disorders like arthritis and lupus, cardiovascular diseases like coronary heart disease and hypertension, as well as diabetes.

Cardiovascular diseases

Increased risks in instances of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke have shown to be prevalent among those who are unhappy with their social relationships. A meta-analysis of 11 studies on CHD and 9 on strokes found a 29% increased risk of CHD and 32% risk of stroke in people with poor social relationships. Both heart disease and strokes pose a serious health threat. According to Health Canada, 12 Canadians over the age of 20 with diagnosed heart disease die every hour, while strokes are the third leading cause of death in the nation.

Shorter lives

The association between loneliness, isolation and serious (and often deadly) medical conditions leads one to logically conclude that these factors impact overall mortality rates. While this is true, it also appears that loneliness can be a predictor of increased risk of death from all causes. A 2010 analysis of 148 studies with over 300 thousand participants concluded a 50% increased likelihood of survival for participants with stronger social relationships. This was the case across all studies, irrespective of variables like age, sex, cause of death or initial health status.

Stress, depression, anxiety

The tangibility of the above physical ailments and their association with loneliness may be surprising to some. Loneliness is hard to define, therefore participants in the aforementioned studies were often referring to subjective or perceived feelings of loneliness. It is more intuitive to assume that loneliness has a greater impact on mental health than physical health.

While quantifying which is “greater” can be difficult, a meta-analysis conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto found significant correlations between loneliness and mental health. Depression was the most common mental health condition suffered by participants indicating feelings of loneliness, followed by anxiety, suicidality and general mental health issues.

The benefits of connection

Being around others can have an important impact on brain chemistry, resulting in an increased ability to manage stress. One academic study found that hormones like cortisol, and increases in blood pressure and heart rate, were lessened or lowered when participants had someone to support them through common anxiety producing tasks like public speaking and on the spot arithmetic as opposed to those who performed these tasks alone. It has also been suggested that in addition to lowering stress inducing hormones, social connection can raise the level of stress-combatting hormones like oxytocin.

Moreover, there are evolutionary reasons why loneliness is harmful. In Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection by John T. Cacioppo and William Patrick, the authors posit that adverse feelings of social isolation like loneliness developed as a way to ensure our long term survival, which, at the dawn of man, depended crucially on forming social bonds. Humans relied on the small community around them for protection from mortal danger. Without this protection, a human would not live long enough to reproduce, thereby lowering the chances of the survival of the species in general.

How to connect in the time of COVID-19?

In normal times, the way to combat loneliness would involve joining a community of people and reaping the health benefits of doing so. Social distancing measures makes that impossible for the moment. But whereas our forebears had no options other than physical proximity to establish connections, technological tools at our disposal to stay in touch can make a real difference.

Respondents of the Ipsos Poll — in which 54% of Canadians said they had experienced feelings of isolation and loneliness due to social distancing measures — reported overwhelmingly that they leveraged technology to stay in contact with friends and family. Fully 93% reported connecting with loved ones using technology. These results weren’t reserved for younger Canadians either — those aged 55 and over also reported similar feelings of connectedness using technology.

Loneliness has been an issue for Canadians and others in the Western world long before the coronavirus reared its ugly head. Solving this issue is complex with no easy answer. If reaping the benefits of social connection by engaging with the community were easy, loneliness would likely not figure as prominently in the Canadian psyche as it appears to. What is clear, however, is that loneliness and isolation are detrimental to physical and mental health, no matter who is feeling isolated and lonely.