Page 6 - Engage Spring 2024

NEWS
Frequent engagement with friends – boosts wellbeing
“Loneliness is like hunger,” says Dr Louise Hawkley, a principal research scientist at the University of Chicago. “Some people become withdrawn with it; others become irritable or sad. Like hunger, it’s a biological signal and an innate need starting at birth, as being with other humans is where our strength comes from and where we thrive.”
cognitive function, such as language skills and interrupted trains of thought.
There are many different reasons for loneliness. Bereavement, divorce, moving house, changing jobs and retirement are just some of the reasons. Illness and financial stress can also lead to loneliness, as people find themselves unable to be as social as they were. One of the reasons is the impact of the cost of living crisis, with many now unable to eat out, go on trips and do physical activity because it is too expensive.
In recent years, communities have been undermined by more and more social interaction taking place through social media. There are 4.2 million over-65s who have never used the internet and wouldn’t feel comfortable with a screen. The closure of ticket offices at train stations, high street banks and post offices, check-outs at supermarkets and the machine ordering of food have all contributed to the decline of day to day normal human connections. Fewer people now know their neighbours, go to church or are part of local groups. By starving us of human contact, automation has resulted in an increased sense of loneliness for many.
At the same time, more of us live alone: the number of single-person homes has increased by eight per cent over the last 10 years in the UK. So, what can we do
to improve our situation? Activities that promote health, such as exercise, and a healthy diet are very important. Social activities are also good for brain resilience because they help us cope with emotions and stress.
Practising thinking, memory and concentration skills can improve cognition by 10 per cent, says André Aleman, professor of cognitive neuropsychiatry at the University of Groningen and author of
Loneliness amongst people over 50 increased three-fold during the Covid pandemic and did not go back to pre- pandemic levels says Professor Rose Anne Kenny of Trinity College Dublin. “Covid lockdowns created a hidden monster
of loneliness in older people.” She was referring to the Irish longitudinal study
on ageing, which measured data on a
large cohort of over-50s at two-year intervals, and looked at rates of loneliness and depression before, during, and after the pandemic. She said that if she could prescribe only one thing to boost wellbeing it would be “good, frequent engagement with friends.”
Lockdown meant that people were not able to socialise for a long time, with many failing to re-establish the friendships and social life they had before the pandemic. Solitude raises the chance of premature death by almost 30 per cent, through health conditions such as diabetes, heart attacks, insomnia and dementia. According to UK government statistics, 1 in 14 of those in England aged over 16 – that’s three million people – feel lonely often or all of the time.
The issues did not improve after lockdowns were ended. Dr Dorina Cadar, senior lecturer in Cognitive Epidemiology and Dementia at Brighton and Sussex Medical School has said that lockdown may have aged the brain by an additional two years. Many over-50s suffered a loss of
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Those who had already experienced mild memory problems prior to 2020 suffered worst of all.
6 | SPRING 2024