Chronic social isolation triggers a massive inflammatory response in the human body that dramatically increases the risk of heart disease, dementia, and premature death.

A closer look

Chronic social isolation triggers a massive inflammatory response in the human body that dramatically increases the risk of heart disease, dementia, and premature death. Epidemiologists have calculated that the physiological damage caused by severe loneliness is roughly equivalent to smoking fifteen cigarettes a day, making a lack of friends a literal health hazard. We spend billions of dollars on organic produce and boutique fitness classes to extend our lifespans, completely ignoring the fact that sitting alone in our apartments every night is destroying our cardiovascular systems. Evolution wired us to rely on tribal communities for survival, so your immune system panics when you try to become a fiercely independent sigma male. Text your friends back, because your introverted lifestyle is quite literally trying to murder you from the inside!