The new epidemic of our days: loneliness. How modern technology will help to cope with it

Loneliness. Probably, almost every person at least once in his life experienced this feeling of emptiness pressing in his chest. But everything is much more serious than it seems. According to recently published data, an increasing number of people report that they regularly experience a feeling of being alone. However, it is terrible that, if I may say so, “loneliness is younger”, becoming the lot of people who have not even turned 30 years old. In this regard, loneliness has already begun to be called a new epidemic. And with this problem you need to do something.

Some statistics

It is worth noting that the problem of lonelinesscharacteristic of almost the entire world community. So, more than a third of Americans over the age of 45 report that they feel lonely. For most people, this is an informed choice. In addition, more than nine million Britons "often or always" feel lonely, and South Africa, Japan and Brazil are among the ten "longest" regions of the world. The situation is similar in Russia: according to the 2002 census, there were 11.8 million one-person households in Russia. And according to the latest census, their number has grown to 14 million.

It is also interesting: Experiment: how does loneliness affect the body and mind of a person?

What is the reason for loneliness and why is it so dangerous?

Living in isolation is far from the only reason.loneliness, as one might think. There are many factors that influence this, including income levels and education. An elderly person, for example, can be surrounded by people and still feel very lonely. Older people can also become socially isolated due to the death of friends or loved ones

If we talk about the physiological side of the issue,This feeling of loneliness is associated with a decrease in the number of nerve cells in the brain. Numerous studies indicate the connection of loneliness with such serious diseases as the development of dementia, depression, heart disease, and even stroke. According to some reports, loneliness can increase the risk of premature death by 30%, which makes it as dangerous as, for example, smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

How can modern technology help?

First of all, of course, it is worth turningpharmaceutical industry. Clinical trials based on pregnenolone (this is one of the steroid hormones in our body) are already undergoing clinical trials. It is shown that the drug can help in the treatment of stress disorders, relieve anxiety symptoms, improve sleep, reduce symptoms of depression, and improve mood.

But withdrawal is only half of whatwhat should be done. Much more important to establish social interaction with other people. And here can come to the aid of various gadgets and applications. And invent nothing special. The same voice assistants like Alexa or Siri with the right approach can be used to support a healthy lifestyle. Helpers can encourage people to interact in depth with other social groups.

Video calls that allowkeep in touch with friends and relatives at a distance. Moreover, eye contact in this case is extremely important. It is worth remembering about social networks. For example, quite a popular service Meetup and its analogues, used to organize meetings with people with similar interests.

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