Study Says Being Lonely Maybe Contagious

Boston (DbTechNo) - Results of a new study suggest that being lonely can actually be contagious.

This interesting study finding was made by researchers from the University of Chicago, the University of California San Diego and Harvard University.

Loneliness has already been linked to increased risk of alcoholism, depression and other negative behaviours but now the new study suggests that it maybe contagious.

The researchers analyzed data from the Framingham Heart Study, paying special attention to those participants who reported loneliness and how that impacted their social circles.

They figured out by analyzing data that those who tend to be lonely, tend to hang out with people who are also loners thus further isolating themselves from others.

“We have been looking at this topic for well over a decade,” said John Cacioppo, director of the University of Chicago’s Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience and one of the study’s authors. “Loneliness is a lot more serious in terms of consequences than people have thought.”

Read more on this interesting study in the December issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.