13. Isolation/ Loneliness: The Worldwide Health Epidemic

Loneliness is felt by many to be the newest health epidemic needing our attention worldwide.  It now is as important a risk factor for predicting early death as obesity and smoking.  In fact, its effect on health can be compared to smoking 15 or more cigarettes a day. It is such a worldwide epidemic, that in January of 2018, Britan’s Prime Minister, Theresa May appointed the world’s first “Minister of loneliness” to address the issue there.