Are lonely people more sensitive to the symptoms of colds?

The suffering that causes a cold is irritating enough in itself, but if you are alone, you will probably feel even worse, according to researchers at Rice University.

How loneliness affects the condition during illness

A study led by psychologist Chris Fagunds and graduate student Angie Leroy showed that people who feel lonely often report that the symptoms of their cold are more serious than those that have many friends and acquaintances.

Loneliness increases the risk of premature death and all kinds of physical illnesses. Nevertheless, until now, scientists have not paid attention to how a lonely person suffers an acute but temporary illness, before which we are all vulnerable - a cold.

Loneliness and social isolation

In the new study, scientists pay attention to the differences between loneliness and actual social isolation. In their work, it is about the quality of the relationship, and not about their number. For example, you can be surrounded by a crowd of people, but still feel lonely. Social isolation is different in that there is a sharp reduction or a complete cessation of contacts with other people. The feeling of loneliness seems especially important when it comes to the symptoms of a cold.

Features of the study

To conduct the study, scientists found single people, isolated them and provoked their development of a cold.

A total of 159 people participated in the study, aged between 18 and 55 (60 percent of them men). Scientists assessed their psychological and physical health, given their cold symptoms and quarantine for five days. All this time, the study participants lived in hotel rooms.

results

Participants were checked during and after the five-day quarantine. In their conclusions, researchers took into account such demographic indicators as gender and age of participants, and also took into account depressive affect and social isolation, scientists found that those people who experienced loneliness had no more chances to get a cold than those who He did not complain.

But when it came to the severity of the symptoms, which were manifested in the participants in the experiment, the scientists saw significant differences. People who suffered from loneliness also reported more severe cold symptoms than those who did not experience this feeling. At the same time it seemed that the number of social contacts of participants had nothing to do with the severity of the symptoms that they experienced. As we can see, the quality of relations here played a more important role.

Previous studies have shown that various psycho-social factors, including the lack of strong social ties with others and a sense of rejection, lead to a deterioration in physical, mental and emotional health. Thus, in the new study, scientists had general conditions for work, so they decided to focus on a particular disease - the common cold.

The stressor and predisposition

The effect for single people can be identical when they encounter other types of stress. In any case, the disease is a stress for both the physical and mental state of a person. The mental or physical predisposition of a person to a disease can be strengthened by subsequent stress. A study conducted by scientists had the purpose of studying how a particular predisposition (loneliness) interacts with a particular stressor (cold).

Draw conclusions

Scientists say that, given the results of their research, doctors should take into account psychological factors when they diagnose the patient. This, of course, will help them understand what caused the disease of man.

"We believe that this is very important, especially because of the economic burden associated with the common cold," Leroy added. - Millions of people miss work every year because of a cold. Therefore, one should pay attention to how they feel in general, and not just the symptoms of the disease. "

The findings also stimulate us to be more socially active. If you have many friends and acquaintances with whom you constantly communicate, even during illness you will not feel alone.