Smoking is making you lonely: study

A study presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Barcelona links smoking with greater loneliness, challenging the idea that “social” smoking is harmless. Researchers analyzed data from more than 50,000 participants in Europe’s Survey of Health and Ageing, measuring loneliness as isolation and lack of companionship. Findings showed current smokers were lonelier than non-smokers across age and gender, and that smokers also experienced larger increases in loneliness over time. Dr. Keir Philip suggested smoking may damage psychosocial health in older people. The report also notes smoking bans can reduce opportunities to gather and socialize, potentially intensifying the loneliness effect.