Was the social isolation of the lockdowns deadlier than smoking?

A new study released this month reveals that prolonged social isolation may be worse for your health than regularly smoking cigarettes.

The research paper, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Aging, found that psychological factors can deeply impact the aging process. Subjects who reported suffering from a poor mental state, such as being depressed, unhappy, or lonely, were biologically 1.65 years older than their peers. Comparatively, being a current smoker was found to only add 1.25 years to a subject’s biological age.

“The detrimental impact of low psychological well-being is of the same magnitude as serious diseases and smoking,” the study’s authors conclude.

The results are timely considering the impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns on the social lives of Americans. According to a University of Michigan poll, 56 percent of Americans between the ages of 50 and 80 reported feelings of isolation in June 2020. Similarly, an AARP survey found that seven in ten older adults had increased feelings of depression and anxiety during the pandemic.