Introduction
People need to have connections with friends, family, colleagues, and community groups. Social isolation refers to the number of contacts a person has to family, friends and community. Loneliness is an individual’s personal sense of feeling alone or wanting more connection. Someone could have a lot of connections and still feel lonely, while another person may choose to have very few connections and not feel lonely at all. People who have weak social connections are at increased risk of many additional health conditions including heart disease, obesity, unhealthy lifestyle and a weakened immune system.
What will you learn?
At the end of this overview on Loneliness & Social Isolation you will be able to answer:
- What is social isolation?
- What is loneliness?
- How do social isolation and loneliness impact health?
- How we can improve social health?
