\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n \tRelated story \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tKelly Osbourne Said She’s Regained Weight After Being ‘Shocked’ By Photos of Herself\t\t<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n \t \n\tThe study analyzed 277,489 adults aged 40 to 69 who started out without seven major conditions, including heart disease, cancer, depression, and anxiety. Researchers estimated how many disease-free years participants could expect after age 50.<\/p>\n \n\tTo be clear, this doesn\u2019t mean enjoying your own company is shaving years off your life. It also doesn\u2019t mean loneliness comes with a six-year countdown. These findings describe an association across a large group of people, not a prediction for any one person. But they do suggest that connection deserves a little more attention in conversations about health.<\/p>\n \n\tWe tend to use loneliness and social isolation interchangeably. Researchers don\u2019t.<\/p>\n \n\tSocial isolation is about the connections you have, or don\u2019t have. Loneliness is about whether those connections feel satisfying or fulfilling. You can have people around you and still feel disconnected<\/a>. Having company and feeling understood aren\u2019t the same thing.<\/p>\n \n\tCompared with participants who experienced neither loneliness nor social isolation, women experiencing both<\/a> had an estimated 2.4 fewer years free from major physical diseases. For men, the difference was 1.7 years. The mental-health differences were larger: approximately 3.7 years for women and 5.8 for men.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOverall, the study found that social isolation and loneliness can have a significant impact on disease-free life expectancy,\u201d lead author Lu Qi said in the university\u2019s account of the research<\/a>. \u201cThis includes both physical and mental disease.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHealthier habits, including a better diet<\/a>, regular exercise, sufficient sleep, and not smoking, reduced the loss of disease-free years associated with social isolation. For loneliness, researchers didn\u2019t find the same statistically significant benefit.<\/p>\n \n\tEven so, this was an observational study. It can\u2019t prove that loneliness caused those differences or that changing your social life would give those years back. Researchers plan to investigate that through clinical trials and studies<\/a> of other populations.<\/p>\n \n\tThe takeaway isn\u2019t that we all need more plans. (Please, no.) It\u2019s that feeling connected deserves a place in the health conversation.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"LONDON,](\"https:\/\/www.sheknows.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-sheknows-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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\n<\/section>\n<\/p>\n\n\t\tThe Difference Between Being Alone and Being Lonely\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tWhy \u2018Healthy Habits\u2019 Aren\u2019t the Whole Answer\t<\/h2>\n