According to a recent Cigna study, young people are far more likely than senior citizens to report being lonely and in poor health. The younger people, part of Generation Z, had loneliness scores of about 48 compared with nearly 39 for those 72 and older. Loneliness actually has the same effect on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, which makes it even more dangerous than obesity, says Cigna, citing a 2010 report.
Also surprising: Young people with the highest rates of social media use reported very similar feelings of loneliness to those who barely use it.
