Social isolation is a phenomenon that is linked to a wide variety of health problems. It’s associated with depression, anxiety, suicide and cardiovascular disease.
Perceived loneliness affects subjective well-being and health
Loneliness is one of the most important psychosocial factors that affect health. It is a multidimensional emotion that is associated with increased rates of anxiety and depression, as well as increased risk of morbidity and mortality. However, it is also important to note that people don’t always feel lonely and that isolation is not the only cause of loneliness.
Many social scientists have studied loneliness, and they have concluded that it is a complex and emotional feeling that can occur without any form of social isolation. Researchers have found that the De Jong Gierveld short scale, which is a five-point Likert scale, is a reliable measure of loneliness.
Another study has found that loneliness is associated with a number of health indicators. These include high rates of anxiety, depression and suicide. The researchers have identified a hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis as a possible mechanism.
There has been some evidence that the HPA axis is dysregulated in individuals who are lonely. Loneliness activates the stress response, and dysregulation of the HPA axis has been linked to a number of health problems.
Studies have also shown that loneliness reduces the effects of social support on subjective well-being. However, more research is needed to determine the impact of this relationship on physical and mental health.
One of the key questions is how loneliness interacts with the HPA axis to explain the link between loneliness and subjective well-being. In this study, researchers used salivary cortisol measurements to investigate how the HPA axis interacts with subjective well-being.
