## Colophon tags:: url:: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/02/19/do-lonely-people-have-shorter-lives %% title:: Do lonely people have shorter lives? type:: [[clipped-note]] author:: [[@economist.com]] %% ## Notes > Do lonely people have shorter lives? — [view in context](https://hyp.is/hmBBSPIBEe--0w_UdxbCDQ/www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/02/19/do-lonely-people-have-shorter-lives) ⬆️ date:: [[2025-02-23]] > The authors then identified the environmental factors with the strongest influence on mortality (see chart 2). Some of the results are obvious: smoking increases a person’s risk of premature death by around 60% compared with a non-smoker of the same age, sex and background. Being educated, employed and wealthy were among the most life-extending factors. Physical activity reduced the risk of mortality by roughly 25%. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/lLPiuPIBEe-czXuIpsgeNQ/www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/02/19/do-lonely-people-have-shorter-lives) > But the study also found that social connections were a surprisingly powerful predictor of a long life. Living with a partner was roughly as beneficial as exercise. Regular visits with family or having someone to confide in also appeared to lower mortality risks. Loneliness is a known risk factor for an early death—people who are socially isolated tend to have greater levels of cellular inflammation and poorer immune responses. It is not clear, however, whether this is a direct effect of being alone, or because lonely people tend to be less active and eat poorer diets. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/xK_h9vIBEe-6_5u5Yh8o0Q/www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/02/19/do-lonely-people-have-shorter-lives) ⬆️ 🎵 "all the lonely people, where do they all come from" 🎵 > Environmental factors matter more for some diseases than others (see chart 3). They explain roughly 35% of the variation of lung and liver disease prevalence, but less for certain cancers, where genetics dominate. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/07lNLPIBEe-IpudUBVFduQ/www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/02/19/do-lonely-people-have-shorter-lives) > There are caveats to these findings. The study is a lesson in correlation not causation. Installing an open fireplace in your home or gorging on cheese will probably do little to help slow ageing—but both factors were linked to a lower mortality risk (probably because they are also associated with higher wealth in Britain). — [view in context](https://hyp.is/4AumLvIBEe-FK8vQQm_S4A/www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/02/19/do-lonely-people-have-shorter-lives) > But the findings do suggest that social connections and mental wellbeing might be just as important as physical exercise in warding off an early death.■ — [view in context](https://hyp.is/5HH2KPIBEe-InXeEbCa9Nw/www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/02/19/do-lonely-people-have-shorter-lives)