Don't Underestimate It: Loneliness Can Harm the Brain Like Smoking

Loneliness is no longer seen merely as an emotional problem. Doctors warn that chronic loneliness and social isolation can have a serious impact on brain health, with dangers almost equivalent to smoking.

Neurologist Dr Sreenivas UM stated that loneliness is increasingly experienced by people in the digital era. Loneliness has also been recognised as a risk factor for cognitive diseases such as dementia.

“Recent studies show that loneliness can produce structural changes in the brain, particularly in regions involved in memory, reasoning, thinking, and decision-making,” he said.

Dr Sreenivas cited the results of a meta-analysis involving around three million people, which found that chronic loneliness increases the risk of premature death by 26 per cent. According to him, these findings place loneliness as a health threat almost on par with obesity and physical inactivity, and approaching the risk posed by smoking.

“This makes loneliness almost as dangerous as obesity and lack of physical activity, and close to the risks associated with smoking,” he said.

Furthermore, loneliness can also impact neurological health through lifestyle changes. People who feel socially isolated tend to experience sleep disturbances, move less, have unhealthy eating patterns, or develop a dependency on certain substances. All of these factors are known to be linked to poorer brain health.

The impact can be even more pronounced in people living with neurological conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or dementia. According to Dr Sreenivas, social isolation can worsen symptoms, slow recovery, and increase the risk of recurrence even if the patient continues treatment.

Scientific research has found that loneliness activates several of the same brain areas involved in physical pain. These findings provide a scientific explanation for why emotional suffering often feels like real physical pain.

“Functional imaging has shown that the areas affected by loneliness are similar to those activated during physical pain, providing a scientific basis for the term ‘heartache’,” Dr Sreenivas said.