Not so long ago, the World Health Organization recognized loneliness as a global health threat and created a special commission to develop measures to overcome it. The release distributed by the organization contains a lot of high-profile figures. Loneliness, for example, increases the risk of dementia in older people by 50%, and stroke and heart disease by 30%. But the biggest shock to the global community was caused by another figure.
According to the US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, loneliness is as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Loneliness is more dangerous than obesity and lack of physical activity.
Misfortune as a diagnosis
Why is the WHO suddenly asking about loneliness? It seems that the 7.88 billion people on the planet, 57.5% of whom live in cities, do not leave the place of loneliness. But it turns out that the crush in a trolley bus in itself is not at all conducive to “social connections” – this is what scientific circles call the opposite of loneliness.
The development of remote communication channels, social networks, digital entertainment and the pandemic are increasing loneliness rates. From 20% to 43% of Americans over 60 are deeply lonely. And this is not just about “independent living”, but about the destruction of most of the usual social connections. And even among teenagers, the numbers are constantly increasing – from 5% to 15% of children and young people (depending on the country) feel lonely.
Is it necessary to say that the problem of loneliness in Ukraine is currently exaggerated, including due to millions of broken families?
Loneliness is dangerous for a number of reasons. It encourages a lifestyle that is dangerous to health in the broadest sense, and increases suicidal tendencies. But not only that. A number of studies have clearly and confidently proven a direct connection between social isolation and immunity. So the feeling of unhappiness and stress that accompany loneliness is probably the main reason for the negative health effects of loneliness.
Hello and thank you
But there is a fairly simple and effective way to mitigate the global problem. On November 17 of this year, the journal Sage published a joint study by scientists from Turkey and the UK, which proves that “minimal social interaction” increases the subjective feeling of satisfaction with life. If you like, the feeling of happiness.
They tested their hypothesis on two independent groups. The first consisted of 3,266 residents of Turkey, the second of over 60,000 Britons. The scientists' first conclusion was not a sensation, since scientists had recorded similar connections before - random short conversations with strangers increase personal feelings of life satisfaction.
The second is much more significant. Even simple greetings and thanks to strangers, without any further interaction, statistically significantly increase subjective happiness levels.
What's the point?
This discovery could be a very important part of a global strategy to combat loneliness and would cost governments almost nothing. The authors of the above study cite as an example a recent experiment conducted in London. On the glass separating passengers from the bus driver, a sticker was placed that said “Hello or Thank you will make my day better.” This simple and inexpensive measure increased the number of passengers who greeted the driver from 23% to 30%.
At the state or city level, you can come up with hundreds of other ways to motivate people to greet and thank each other. Business could also join such a campaign. After all, in most cities in the same Europe, of which we are a part, greeting and thanking in public places, helping even strangers, is the norm.
At the level of each of us, it is still much easier. All we need to do every day is to do at least one small good deed: hold the door, give a stranger from Troyeshchyna a ride to the subway, help a girl with a heavy suitcase, give up a seat in transport, treat a colleague to a candy, go to a school fair where children collect donations for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Of course, I wouldn't advise greeting random passersby on the streets of a big city to feel less lonely or happier. But it's perfectly possible to greet the same minibus driver, the metro controller, or the security guard at the supermarket. And if we start not only doing, but also noticing those little acts of kindness that someone has done for us, which were mentioned in the paragraph above, and thanking them for them, it will make not only the person we are thanking feel warmer, but also us. And everyone will live a little happier because of it.
