May 2, 2018

How loneliness hurts your health

A man silhouetted in front of a vending machine.

Photo: Richard Atrero de Guzman/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Loneliness is as bad for our long-term health as smoking, and we're pretty lonely, according to a new survey from Cigna: 43% of American adults said they always or sometimes lack companionship; 27% rarely or never "feel as though there are people who really understand them;" 19% don't feel there are people they can turn to.

The impact: Among people who said they never have in-person interactions, 50% are in fair or poor overall health, compared with just 12% of those who have daily in-person interactions.

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