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The sad impact of loneliness

In all the discussion of evolutionary fitness and paleo living there is a lot of focus on diet and - to a lesser degree - on exercise.

Fair enough, but I think there are a range of other factors that often get left out of the argument, factors which if neglected can totally destroy other efforts.

At the least I'd list:
  • Sleep
  • Stress
  • Sociability / sex
If we are talking about living as we are meant to there is more to it than diet and exercise, important though they are.  You need decent sleep.  You need to minimise chronic stress.  You need social contact.

I just saw this study that stresses the importance of social contact.


Loneliness and the Rate of Motor Decline in Old Age:

Among community-dwelling older persons, both feeling alone and being alone are associated with more rapid motor decline, underscoring the importance of psychosocial factors and motor decline in old age.


The whole study is available at this link.

You need your tribe
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Comments

Marc said…
Chris,

There is a reason EVERY culture emphasizes respect for parents/family. It is part of our make up to be closely connected to our fellow human beings...especially family. It only gets better if you are able to expand out from that circle.

Physical contact should be part of the mix to in my opinion.

My gorgeous girlfriend lives a few hours away by plane...we see each other every 2-3 weeks...It's amazing how badly I start craving that physical contact after about 10 days. I'm not talking just "sex" here...just real physical contact with another human.....
I woul love to read more studies about this and how it affects our physiology.

Have a good week.
Marc
October 25, 2010 at 5:05 AM
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