Loneliness; a risk factor for neurological diseases and death

Abstract

For the human brain, loneliness is a biological state of high alert that accelerates neurological disease. The brain perceives a lack of social ties as a survival threat, triggering inflammatory cascades that physically alter neural processing. This risk is twofold: it stems from both social isolation—the objective lack of contact—and loneliness, the subjective feeling of being alone. Together, these overlooked stressors represent a physiological crisis affecting a vast portion of the population. Approximately 24% of community-living Americans aged 65 or older are socially isolated, while loneliness affects 35% of adults aged 45 and older and 43% of those over 60.¹ While data on these effects remains limited in Pakistan, Japan reported some of the highest rates in Asia, and according to government surveys, nearly half of the Japanese elderly population experiences loneliness and social isolation.²