Experienced loneliness intensifies the symptoms of infections

Lonely people are worse off with colds
Colds are a common disease in Germany. Especially in the cold season, the number of people affected increases. Researchers found that loneliness makes sufferers feel worse about having a cold.

The University of Houston researchers found that loneliness exacerbates the symptoms of a cold. Those affected really feel worse. The physicians published the findings of their study in a press release from the American Psychological Association.

Colds are unfortunately widespread. The effects can lead to a few days being forced to cure their illness in bed. One study found that when people feel lonely, the symptoms of a cold get worse. (Image: Elnur / fotolia.com)

Loneliness can have dire consequences for human health
When people are lonely and have weaker social networks, this increases the symptoms of colds. "Our research has shown that loneliness also increases the likelihood of premature death or the development of disease," explains Angie LeRoy of Rice University.

Feeling loneliness affects symptoms more
"So far, no research has been done on the effects of loneliness on a common disease - the common cold. We found in our study that perceived loneliness has a greater effect on the symptoms of a cold than actual loneliness, "adds the author.

Own perception of loneliness is most important
"We analyzed the quality of people's relationships, not their quantity," says the researcher. People can be in a crowded room and still feel lonely. The subjective perception of loneliness seems to have a stronger influence on the symptoms than previously thought.

Physicians are studying nearly 160 participants for their study
For their study, the scientists examined 159 subjects. All participants were unmarried and aged from 18 years to 55 years. Nearly 60 percent of the subjects were men. Subjects were screened for their psychological and physical health after receiving nasal drops that caused colds. All participants were quartered in a hotel room for five days.

Lonely people do not often catch colds
The subjects were medically monitored during and after the five-day stay. After adjusting for gender, age, season, depressive affect and social isolation, the researchers found that lonely-feeling people are no longer infected with a cold compared to non-lonely people.

In an actual cold, loneliness causes increased symptoms
However, when people actually fell ill with a cold, lonely people had stronger symptoms of a cold. "The size of the social networks of the participants seemed to have no impact on it," said the scientists.

Doctors should consider loneliness for colds
What makes the current study novel is the close experimental design of the study. "It's about a particular predisposition (loneliness) that interacts with a specific stressor," explains author Professor Dr. med. Chris Fagundes from Rice University. Doctors should consider mental factors in the future when investigating. It would help to understand how perceived loneliness can affect a cold to initiate a more effective treatment. (As)