Bad cold becomes worse for lonely people, says study

New York: A new study has revealed that suffering from bad cold becomes worst if the people are lonely.

The study found that people who feel lonely are more prone to report that their cold symptoms are more severe than those who have stronger social bonds.

One of the researchers Angie LeRoy from Rice University in Houston, Texas said, "Loneliness puts people at risk for premature mortality and all kinds of other physical illnesses".

LeRoy added, "But nothing had been done to look at an acute but temporary illness that we're all vulnerable to, like the common cold".

The researchers drew a distinction between feeling lonely and actual social isolation.

LeRoy said, "You can be in a crowded room and feel lonely. That perception is what seems to be important when it comes to these cold symptoms."

Carrying out the study meant finding lonely people, isolating them -- and giving them a cold.

A total of 159 people between ages 18 and 55 were assessed for their psychological and physical health, given cold-inducing nasal drops and quarantined for five days in hotel rooms.

Those who were screened in advance for their level of loneliness and became infected reported a greater severity of symptoms than those recorded in previous studies used as controls.

The size of the participants' social networks appeared to have no bearing on how sick they felt.

The findings are an incentive to be more socially active, LeRoy said.

"If you build those networks -- consistently working on them and your relationships -- when you do fall ill, it may not feel so bad," she added.

The study was published in the journal Health Psychology.

(With IANS inputs)