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Teenager alone on a bench: Chronic loneliness permanently increases the level of the stress hormone cortisol

Photo: Oliver Rossi / Getty Images

One in six people aged 10 and over say they often feel lonely, which corresponds to almost 12.2 million people in Germany.

Young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 are most affected.

Almost one in four people of this age often suffers from loneliness.

These are the results of the Federal Statistical Office's time use survey for 2022, which were presented today.

Such a study was last carried out in 2012/2013, but this is the first time the topic of loneliness has been asked.

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Chronic loneliness permanently increases the level of the stress hormone cortisol in the blood and thus significantly increases the risk of developing high blood pressure, sleep disorders, heart attacks, strokes, cancer or dementia.

People without social contacts also pay less attention to themselves. A study showed that people with a functioning circle of friends have an up to 50 percent lower risk of death.

When interpreting the results of the current time use survey, it should be noted that the time use survey took place throughout 2022, when some corona restrictions still existed at the beginning of the year.

Social contacts, experiencing and celebrating together, getting to know new people - many of the things that are particularly important to younger people were not yet fully possible in the usual way in 2022.

According to the results of the time use survey, the feeling of loneliness is least pronounced among people aged 65 and over.

In this group, only one in ten often feels lonely.

Women tend to be lonelier than men.

18 percent of women say they often feel lonely, while only around 15 percent of men say.

Men aged 65 and over feel the least lonely at around eight percent.

However, men may be more inclined to trivialize their perceived loneliness.

vh, Federal Statistical Office