According to an article in Slate Magazine, "Increased loneliness has lead to the following serous health risks”:

• Studies of elderly people and social isolation concluded that those without adequate social interaction were twice as likely to die early.
• The increased mortality risk [from loneliness] is comparable to that of smoking and twice as dangerous as obesity.
• Social isolation impairs immune function and boosts inflammation, which can lead to arthritis, type II diabetes, and heart disease.

Loneliness is not just making us sick, it is killing us. But, sadly, as a culture we rarely talk about it. John T. Cacioppo, a researcher at the University of Chicago who studies the effects of loneliness, put it this way: "Admitting you are lonely is like holding a big L [for loser] on your forehead."