New research suggests that there is a direct biological link between being lonely and ill health, the LiveScience website reported.

John Cacioppo of University of Chicago has found that loneliness is tied to hardening of the arteries¹, inflammation in the body, and even problems with learning and memory.

In one study, Cacioppo and Steve Cole of the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) observed a change in the immune system of socially isolated² people.

"What we see is a consistent pattern where it looks like human immune cells are programmed with a defensive³ strategy that gets activated⁴ in lonely people," Cole said. The result is that a lonely person's body has let its defenses down to viral and other invaders⁵.

In addition, loneliness can destroy the quality of sleep, so that a person's sleep is less restorative, both physically⁶ and psychologically.

据“热点科学”网报道，一项新研究显示，孤独和不良的健康之间存在直接的生理联系。

来自芝加哥大学的约翰·卡乔波发现，孤独可引起动脉硬化、身体发炎，甚至产生学习和记忆问题。

在一项研究中，卡乔波和加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校的史蒂夫·科尔观察到社会孤立人士免疫系统产生的变化。

科尔说：“我们观察到一种稳定的特征：貌似孤独人士的人体免疫细胞受控于一种激活的防御策略。”这导致孤独人士身体降低了对病毒性等入侵物的防御。

另外，孤独还可降低睡眠质量，导致身心恢复功能减弱。