Loneliness can harm the body by releasing excess stress hormones and increasing blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels.
Additionally, it can elevate cholesterol levels and make individuals more susceptible to cancer and infection. Loneliness can also contribute to weight gain, as people may consume more unhealthy and salty foods.
Elderly Black individuals who live alone and face economic challenges often experience pronounced health issues. This is because many older Black adults in urban areas nationwide reside in economically and geographically segregated communities that lack access to vital services and institutions necessary for promoting a healthy lifestyle.
To combat social isolation among African American older adults, the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging (NCBA) urged them to use social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to create a sense of community, share information, and stay engaged.
While social media may help folks remain engaged, it’s not the same as being around real people, according to Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist at New York University and author of the book “Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone.”
Klinenberg called living single one of the most significant demographic changes in the last century — one that we’ve failed to recognize and take seriously. He first started exploring the topic of people living alone after researching the deaths of 700 people during a heat wave in Chicago in 1995. The reason why so many people died was because they lived alone, leaving them without help amid the sweltering heat and humidity. Many of those who died alone were Black and elderly. After the Chicago heat wave, Klinenberg conducted fieldwork to investigate the factors influencing the death risk.
He found that low-income neighborhoods with robust social support systems — high residential density, bustling sidewalks, active businesses, well-maintained public areas, and community organizations — had lower fatalities. In contrast, low-income areas with weaker social infrastructure experienced the highest mortality rates in the city.
For decades, African American neighborhoods faced an exodus of employers, businesses, and residents. This mass departure has posed considerable challenges to sustaining crucial social support systems within these communities.
Loneliness is such a big issue today that the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is trying to get more people to discuss it.
“Most of us probably think of loneliness as just a bad feeling. It turns out that loneliness has far greater implications for our health when we struggle with social disconnection, loneliness, or isolation,” Murthy told USA Today in a 2023 interview. |