Thirty years ago, anyone blaming loneliness for physical illness would have

Thirty years ago, anyone blaming loneliness for physical illness would have been laughed at. But as scientists studied different populations, loneliness kept emerging as a risk(26)factor. In one study, California researchers followed 4 700(27)residents of Alameda County for ten years, starting in 1965. At first, the(28)participants reported their key sources of companionship and estimated the time they(29)devoted to each other. During the study, the people who reported the least social(30)contact died at nearly three times the rate of those reporting the most. The source of companionship didn’t matter, but time spent with others was(31)critical. Since then, researchers have studied men, women, soldiers and students from countries all over the world. And the same(32)conclusion keeps emerging. Women who say they feel isolated go on to die of cancer at several times the expected rate. College students who report "strained and cold" relationships with their parents suffer(33)extraordinary rates of hypertension(高 血压)and heart disease decades later. Heart-attack(34)survivors who happen to live by themselves die at twice the rate of those who live with others. For those of us who are still healthy, the lesson should be obvious. It’s clear that reaching out to others can help our bodies thrive. It’s equally clear that we’re growing more isolated. In 1900, only 5% US households(35)consisted of one person living alone. The proportion reached 13% in 1960, and it stands at 25% today.