Research Shows that Loneliness is Contagious

By Rachel Stockton 

“If your friends are there, then everything’s alright.” –Sir Elton John 

Ever been around someone that seemed to have a black cloud following them everywhere they went?  Apparently, there’s scientific evidence to support the fact that people who are on the fringe socially can make those in their social circle feel just as lonely as they are.

A study performed by the University of Chicago, University of California (San Diego) and Harvard University has shown that loneliness is just as contagious as the common cold; the results have been published in the current edition of The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

According to the researchers, the average person has about 48 lonely days per year; however, for every lonely friend we have in our network, an additional 17 days of loneliness are in store for us, annually.  The despair and unhappiness of one person can rub off not only on spouses, friends and co-workers, it can even spread to mere acquaintances.

The old saying “Laugh and the world laughs with you, frown and you frown alone” may not be quite so accurate.  The study found that even people who are not lonely become lonelier when they are around others who feel disengaged from others.

While we think of “lonely” people isolating, this is only partially true.  The researchers discovered that before a lonely person pulls away from a particular social network, the affect of his or her loneliness has already affected others, even if the rest of the group “pushes” the lonely person to the periphery of the group.

On the flip side, having a social network can positively affect our health.  An Australian study recently showed that people who have friends actually live longer.  They also have a better sense of themselves, which translates into having healthier immune systems.  Researchers are cited as saying that friends keep us from engaging in unhealthy habits, such as drinking alone.