Let's wage a war on loneliness

Social isolation poses more health risks than obesity or smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to research published by Brigham Young University. The     1     is that loneliness is a huge, if silent, risk factor.

Loneliness affects physical health in two ways. First, it produces stress hormones that can lead to many health problems. Second, people who live alone are less likely to go to the doctor     2    , to exercise or to eat a healthy diet.

Public health experts in many countries are     3     how to     4     widespread loneliness in our society. Last year Britain even appointed a minister for loneliness. "Feelings of loneliness     5     almost every one of us at some point," its minister for loneliness Baroness Barran said. "Loneliness can lead to very serious health     6     for individuals who become isolated and disconnected."

Barran     7     a "Let's Talk Loneliness" campaign that sparked difficult conversations across Britain. He is now supporting "     8     benches," which are public seating areas where people are encouraged to go and chat with ore another. The minister is also     9     that public transportation should be stopped from being cut in ways that leave people isolated.

More than one-fifth of adults in both the United States and Britain said in a 2018 survey that they often or always feel lonely. More than half of American adults are unmarried, and researchers have found that even among those who are married, 30% of relationships are     10     strained. A quarter of Americans now live alone, and as the song says, one is the loneliest number.