The pangs of loneliness can certainly take a toll on your health.
According to a study, lonely first-year college students had a weaker
immunity after taking a flu vaccine than other students did.
Not only that, researchers found that social isolation--measured
by the size of a student's social network--and feelings of
loneliness independently negotiated the students' immunity.
Running the Study
The study involved 83 students--mostly 18-19 years old--who were
recruited in their first term of college:
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For two weeks, starting two days before vaccination, the students
recorded their emotional responses four times a day on palm
computers.
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For five days during that period, researchers collected saliva
samples four times a day to measure levels of cortisol, the
stress hormone.
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Students also filled out questionnaires that calculated the
size of their social networks when the study began, and during
a four-month follow-up period, to assess loneliness.
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Researchers reviewed blood samples taken just before the flu
shot and one and four months after for antibody levels--which
indicated how well the students' immune systems acted in
response to the multi-strain flu vaccine.
What did the data reveal? Researchers found that light social ties
were connected at a level of statistical significance with poorer
immune response to one component of the multi-strain vaccine, separate
from feelings of loneliness. In addition, loneliness was linked
with a weaker immunity to the same strain as late as four months
after the shot.
Thus, the findings emphasized the knowledge that social factors
are important to one's overall health.
Health
Psychology May 2005;24(3)
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