September 27, 2016.
Loneliness cannot be chosen, it is suffered. This is the conclusion of a recent American study, which affirms that this difficulty in maintaining normal social relations is written in the genes of people who suffer from it.
People with loneliness have certain genes in common
Some people are more prone to loneliness than others, and this trait could be genetic. In any case, this is what researchers at the University of San Diego, in the United States, suggest, who have just published a study on the subject.
To reach their conclusion, these scientists conducted a survey of 10,760 people aged 50 and over. All these participants were subjected to questions relating to their social behavior, their fear of being isolated, their feeling when they felt left out, etc. At the end of the study, cross-checks were made and researchers realized that certain genes were often found in people suffering from loneliness.
Loneliness is very bad for your health
In their findings, published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, the researchers believe that 27% of people prone to loneliness have certain genes in common. Behind this conclusion, the scientists tried to illustrate the mechanism which pushes individuals to turn to loneliness when others will turn more easily to others.
The study explains that when a person finds himself in a delicate social position, his brain sends an alarm signal, as it would in the event of physical danger. Faced with this signal, the former see the danger and turn to the others, while the latter turn to themselves. A behavior that is not without risk, since it is proven that loneliness has a negative impact on health. It would be a factor of obesity, stress and impoverishment of the immune system. And according to an American study cited by LCI, it would even be responsible for an increased risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease.
Read also: Loneliness, the cause of mental illness?
