Ep. 40 - Louise Hawkley: Loneliness & Its Effects on Physical and Mental Health

In today's episode, I spoke with Louise Hawkley about loneliness.

We spoke about the paradox of feeling lonely even when surrounded by people, why loneliness is so painful to us on a visceral level, and how we are hardwired for social connection.

Louise’s work has shown the significant consequences that loneliness can have on our mental health and our physical health. Loneliness can completely distort the way we see the world, and it can have serious physiological, hormonal, and genetic effects. We also discussed some of the drivers of loneliness in our modern world - such as social media and changing family dynamics - and finally, what we can do about it.

We shared practical ways to combat loneliness, overcome social anxiety, and cultivate more meaningful relationships. Tune in to learn more about loneliness and the ways in which we can build a more connected society.

Prof. Louise Hawkley is a principal research scientist at NORC of the University of Chicago, and her research focuses on loneliness, its impacts on physical and mental health, with a special emphasis on the aging population.

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00:00 Intro

01:02 What is loneliness?

04:33 Why is loneliness so painful?

06:00 Are we in a loneliness epidemic?

09:44 Mental health effects of chronic loneliness

14:45 Overcoming social anxiety

19:45 Loneliness causes diseases of inflammation

31:00 Cultivating relationships for life

34:28 Men and women suffer from different types of loneliness

39:14 Causes for the rise in loneliness - is social media to blame?

44:00 Authenticity is key for true belonging

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