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Pablo Martínez-Juarez
WriterEnvironmental economist and science journalist. For a few years, I worked as a researcher on the economics of climate change adaptation. Now I write about that and much more.
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In recent years, loneliness has become a problem with many ramifications, including health. The “male loneliness epidemic” is one of the most talked-about aspects, but loneliness also affects other sectors of the population. Small details can help alleviate loneliness, if not solve it.
Companion animals. A new study claims that pets can help alleviate feelings of loneliness. Interestingly, the key to the study isn’t the companionship these animals provide in and of themselves but their ability to stimulate and facilitate social interactions between people.
This study by Australian researchers focused on two groups notoriously prone to this problem: the elderly and international students. The team found that animals could facilitate interactions between these two groups, improving their well-being and health.
“We found that both older adults and international students experienced a significant decrease in feelings of loneliness and a significant increase in their health. The presence of live pets in particular helped to break the ice and facilitated conversations between participants,” Em Bould, co-author of the study, said.
The cost of a silent epidemic. Loneliness can affect people in many ways, not just well-being but also physical and mental health. It can accelerate cognitive decline and has been linked to shorter life expectancy.
Pilot project. The study was based on a pilot project involving 30 older people in various residences in the Australian state of Victoria and 11 international students. For 18 weeks, participants met regularly for one hour each week to engage in multiple animal-related leisure activities. There were also animals and robotic versions of them.
Some of the pilot project participants (six seniors and 10 students) also participated in evaluating the program and the subsequent study. These participants completed several surveys and participated in a semi-structured interview.
Measuring loneliness. Measuring loneliness isn’t easy, but tools such as the UCLA Loneliness Scale, which was used in this analysis, are available. The team also assessed participants’ health status using the 5-dimensional instrument EuroQol.
The results were positive on both dimensions. The team observed a decrease in the loneliness index and an increase in the health index. The study was published in an article in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.
Fighting loneliness. It’s a sad irony that loneliness has taken on such dimensions in the age of advances in communication technologies. However, the significant toll loneliness can take on our condition compels us to take the problem seriously.
Image | Michael Hamments (Unsplash)
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