Social isolation is an objective situation as opposed to loneliness which is a subjective feeling of isolation.
Social isolation is associated with 26% increased risk of dementiashows a new British-Chinese scientific study. In addition, socially isolated people have less volume in vital areas of their brain related to cognitive functions.
Researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai, Cambridge and Warrick, led by Dr. Jianfeng Feng, who published in the Journal of Neurology at the American Academy of Neurology, analyzed data from nearly 463,000 people in of the study, which were followed for about 12 years. Of these, 41,886 or 9% were considered socially isolated and 29,036 or 6% felt lonely.
Nearly 5,000 people were diagnosed with dementia during the study. It was found to be significant correlation between social isolation from relatives and friends and the likelihood of dementiawhich was not the case to the same extent in the case of loneliness, as to a greater extent (75%) it is depression that accompanies loneliness – and not loneliness itself – that explains the loneliness-dementia relationship.
Loneliness is a subjective feeling of isolation, while social isolation is an objective situation. The socially isolated have been found to have less gray matter in the brain areas involved in learning and thinking, indicating that social isolation is a risk factor for impending dementia.
“Social isolation is a serious but unrecognized public health problem, often related to aging. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, social isolation has intensified. It is thus more important than ever to identify them. “People who are socially isolated and help them reconnect with their community,” Feng said.
“People who report high levels of social isolation have significant differences in their brain volume related to cognitive function and dementia. Given these findings of our study, social isolation may be an early indicator of an increased risk of dementia.” , he added.
