Photo: Dr. Jeremy Nobel
Loneliness is at epidemic levels in America, and health experts across the country want to make more people aware of it because...it can literally kill you.
Dr. Jeremy Nobel knows this well; he founded The Foundation for Art and Healing, a nonprofit organization that addresses public health concerns. He says being lonely can be detrimental to both your mental and physical health; it leads to an increased risk of suicide, substance abuse, cancer, heart disease, dementia, stroke, and more. In fact, loneliness increases your chance of dying early by 30%, that's equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a DAY.
There are also different KINDS of loneliness. Dr. Nobel says there are three main types: psychological, social, and existential, and you can suffer from ALL of them at once.
In his book, Project Unlonely: Healing Our Crisis of Disconnection, he explores all three kinds of loneliness, what it means to be lonely, and what it means to be connected.
Dr. Nobel joined Heather Brooker on Wake Up Call this morning to talk about it. Check out that interview below!