Maggie Chapman
Fri 21 Dec, 2018
The festive season often gives cause to reminisce about the past: happier times, sadder times, younger times. And it has become a seasonal ritual to consider those less fortunate, those for whom this is a difficult time, those who are alone.
Social isolation and loneliness are on the increase. And, according to research from three continents, loneliness is as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Lonely people are will have poorer mental and physical health and are 50% more likely to die prematurely than those with healthy social relationships.