Loneliness.
We are social creatures by nature. When I was a kid, I heard about a study where a baby monkey would rather spend its time on a wire frame covered by a soft blanket than on a bare wire frame with a bottle attached to it. I have heard that some people in nursing homes die from lack of human touch.
In this study, researchers have linked loneliness to higher blood pressure, lower sleep quality, and dementia to name just a few. The really great news though?
The most effective treatment for loneliness is working on how people view themselves and others. It's not all about finding 4000 hobbies that keep you in the presents of people 24/7 (which is good because I could never survive that much socialization!)
It is about learning to recognize the negative thoughts we let float around in our head and then reframe them into something more neutral. This is the same sort of intervension that is sometimes used for people with depression. Loneliness is more about how a person perceives their interactions with others because it downgrades the quality of the interactions they do get.
The mind really does effect the body -- treat the loneliness and the physical body gets healthier.
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