New Republic, May 2013
ARTICLE SUMMARY:One is the loneliest number. A real deep look into what it means to be lonely from a scientific perspective, who is most likely to experience loneliness and what that means to our health. Perhaps not too surprisingly, those who we can describe as chronically lonely are outsiders, people who feel rejected, such as the sick, elderly or those who have been bullied or discriminated against for being different. The effects of loneliness are detrimental: it effects our genes, our immune systems, our blood pressure and susceptibility to cancer, among other things. So this is a long article. Like pour some coffee, grab your cat (so you won't be
lonely) and read it. It's worth it though.
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/113176/science-loneliness-how-isolation-can-kill-you
