The findings suggest that when we are ill, one of the most important things we need is connection to others. Without that connection, a person is more likely to be depressed, anxious, and have poorer health. This does not appear to be associated with the type of illness they have, but rather due to losing touch with those they once believed they belonged with –friends, family, sports teams, clubs, and so on.

https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1645&context=etd

Also:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2756979/#R56

Health risks associated with social isolation have been compared in magnitude to the well-known dangers of smoking cigarettes and obesity (House 2001). Individuals who lack social connections or report frequent feelings of loneliness tend to suffer higher rates of morbidity and mortality (Brummett et al. 2001; Seeman 2000; Uchino, Cacioppo, and Kiecolt-Glaser 1996), as well as infection (Cohen et al. 1997; Pressman et al. 2005), depression (Heikkinen and Kauppinen 2004), and cognitive decline (Barnes et al. 2004; Wilson et al. 2007).    

Cohen Sheldon, Doyle William J., Skoner David P., Rabin Bruce S., Gwaltney Jack M., Jr. Social Ties and Susceptibility to the Common Cold. Journal of the American Medical Association. 1997;277:1940–44. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9200634

Pressman Sarah D., Cohen Sheldon, Miller Gregory E., Barkin Anita, Rabin Bruce S., Treanor John J. Loneliness, Social Network Size, and Immune Response to Influenza Vaccination in College Freshmen. Health Psychology. 2005;24:297–306.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15898866

Social isolation and Vagal tone:  https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/opinion/sunday/your-phone-vs-your-heart.html

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130509123537.htm

B. E. Kok, K. A. Coffey, M. A. Cohn, L. I. Catalino, T. Vacharkulksemsuk, S. B. Algoe, M. Brantley, B. L. Fredrickson. How Positive Emotions Build Physical Health: Perceived Positive Social Connections Account for the Upward Spiral Between Positive Emotions and Vagal Tone. Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/0956797612470827

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797612470827

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235880720_Cardiac_Vagal_Tone_Is_Associated_With_Social_Engagement_and_Self-regulation

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2017.01452/full

Respirators:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4748517/

~ Nora

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