LONELINESS & HEALTH!
April 5, 2006

BE HAPPY ZONE
By Lionel Ketchian

Last Monday, March 28, we had our second meeting of the Smiling Single Seniors Happiness Club with 27 people turning out. It was an extraordinary gathering and we met some exhilarating and truly interesting people. The next morning I woke up and turned on CBS Channel 2 News and watched Dr. Emily Senay talk about the latest scientific study on loneliness in people over 50 which greatly increases their risk of high blood pressure. This helped me realize the important health connection of people attending our Happiness Clubs. This research opened my eyes to the link between having people connections as opposed to being socially isolated as we grow older.

The more lonely people were, the higher their blood pressure was, with readings as much as 30 points higher than those who weren't lonely. This statistic suggest that loneliness can be as bad for the heart as being overweight or inactive, researchers said. This "loneliness effect" was most pronounced among the oldest people in this study of 229 Chicago-area men and women between the ages of 50 to 68. The escalation of the problem with age, gives a further reason to consider those age 70 and over at the very highest risk.

This study is the first to demonstrate that loneliness, much like obesity and lack of exercise, can result in higher blood pressure. John T. Cacioppo and Louise C. Hawkley are authors of the paper, "Loneliness is a Unique Predictor of Age-Related Differences in Systolic Blood Pressure," published in the journal Psychology and Aging on March 28th.

The research team also examined data on weight, alcohol consumption, smoking, blood pressure medications, and demographic characteristics. The researchers found that people who rated high on being lonely had a significantly higher blood pressure than non-lonely people with similar profiles on the other measures. Louise Hawkley said the next step for researchers is to better understand how loneliness boosts blood pressure. She said the body seems to respond to loneliness much like it does to being threatened, "increasing blood pressure and creating a lot of wear and tear on the inside of the blood vessels."

"By these standards, improvements in a sense of social connectedness may have clinical benefits comparable to lifestyle modifications," the authors wrote. Hawkley said the findings hint that one strategy for treating high blood pressure might be to get more involved, "do volunteer work, make yourself useful."

According to researchers, this latest study underscores the health advantages of friends and family. Previous research has shown a link between loneliness and increased symptoms of depression, stress-hormone levels and blood-vessel problems.

With earlier research suggesting that more than 11 million Americans over 50 often feel isolated, left out or lacking companionship, the study could have substantial public health implications if it can be shown that reducing loneliness can lower people's blood pressure, said Richard Suzman, director of a behavioral research program at the National Institute on Aging, which helped fund the study.

The research "says something about the importance of a social connection in our everyday lives," said John Cacioppo, a psychology professor who works with Louise Hawkley at the university's cognitive and social neuroscience center. "Part of living a healthy life is paying attention to friends and family."

Last year, Harvard research found a link between loneliness in men with increased blood levels of inflammatory markers associated with heart disease and loneliness. A study at Duke University found an increased risk of death in socially isolated patients with heart disease.

We now have Senior Happiness Clubs from coast to coast. On the West Coast, Bob Nozik, M.D. who is the author of Happy 4 Life: Here’s How to Do It, will start another Senior Happiness Club. Dr. Nozik said, "We don't have a group name yet for our new Happiness Club. Those who attend the first meeting will come up with a name. We'll meet once a month and I'll be co-leading the group with Mei Sun Li and Diane Wilt, both of whom run the Lafayette Senior group for the city of Lafayette which is located 20 miles east of San Francisco, CA.

The first meeting will take place on Thursday, April 27th from 10:30 to 12:00 noon at the Lafayette Senior Center. It is open to all seniors and anyone else who wants to come. At our first meeting, we'll delve into a brief history of Happiness Clubs, how this one may be run, who might attend, and potential activities and formats for the future. We'll discuss topic ideas for future meetings and then, as time permits, perhaps do a little gratitude talk and exercise. We may even have attendees take my short happiness questionnaire."

On the East Coast, Kathy J. Ward, MA is our Ambassador of Happiness for Elders and is President of WEL, World Elder Land. Kathy is the author of Journal For A Better Life, and has meetings every week for community members that have decided to better their quality of life and be happy in the Chevy Chase, MD area.

Here in Connecticut, our next Smiling Single Seniors Happiness Club meeting will be a presentation called: "Happiness Connections," by Lionel Ketchian. The meeting will be on Monday, April 24th, from 7:00 - 8:30 PM at the Westport Public Library at: Arnold Bernhard Plaza, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT 06880. Stacy Enyeart is the group facilitator. Admission is free, for further information call Lionel Ketchian at 203 258-7777. Meet some wonderful people using happiness in their lives. Stay happy and healthy - get well connected.

Lionel Ketchian is the founder of the Happiness Club and can be reached at PrintLRK@aol.com. The Web site is www.happinessclub.com.