Studies Indicate Loneliness is a Bigger Killer Than Obesity
The Claim
Loneliness puts people at a higher risk of death than obesity.
News posted on
Emerging story
On March 19th, 2021, the alternative news website Collective Evolution reported that a study had revealed that loneliness could kill more people than obesity.
Social media users then used this and similar news stories in their social media posts.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation has discovered that the article does not use new data. It references a Brigham Young University study from 2017.
While the data that Collective Evolution uses is old, it is backed up by other studies. For instance, in 2018 the health insurer Cigna conducted another study. The chief medical officer of the company stated that the study showed that, “Loneliness has the same impact on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, making it even more dangerous than obesity.”
Since studies show that social isolation leads to higher fatality rate than other health conditions, including obesity, we rate this claim as true.
