Loneliness fosters cardiovascular disease1. Fortunately, there's an antidote2.
People who survive a heart attack often describe it as a wake-up call3. But for a 61-year-old executive4 I met recently, it was more than that. This man was in the midst of a divorce when he was stricken last spring, and he had fallen out of touch with friends and family members5 The executive's doctor, unaware of the strife6 in his life, counseled7 him to change his diet, start exercising and quit smoking. He also prescribed8 drugs to lower cholesterol9 and blood pressure. It was sound advice, but in combing10 the medical literature11, the patient discovered that he needed to do more. Studies suggested that his risk of dying within six months would be four times greater if he remained depressed and lonely. So he joined a support group and reordered his priorities12,placing relationships13 at the top of the list instead of the bottom. His health has improved steadily since then, and so has his outlook14 on life. In fact he now describes his heart attack as the best thing that has ever happened to him. "Yes, my arteries15 are more important. I'm more open."