But being a \u201ccool\u201d social smoker outside a bar with a cigarette between your fingers, it seems, is not the same as being a social butterfly.<\/p>\n
According to new research presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress<\/a> in Barcelona, smoking actually leads to increased loneliness.<\/p>\n Previous studies have suggested loneliness leads to an uptake of smoking<\/a>, but little research had been conducted looking into the opposite effect.<\/p>\n Analyzing data from over 50,000 people who participated in the \u201cSurvey of Health and Ageing [sic]\u201d in Europe, researchers measured how lonely smokers and non-smokers felt. For the purposes of the study, loneliness including feeling isolated and a lack of companionship.<\/p>\n No matter the age or gender, current smokers were found to be lonelier than non-smokers.<\/p>\n Worse still? Smokers also experienced larger increases in loneliness over time.<\/p>\n One theory as to why this is the case is age:=, The average age of research participants being 67.<\/p>\n \u201cSmoking is associated with increasing loneliness in older people, suggesting smoking may damage psychosocial health in addition to physical effects,\u201d Dr Keir Philip, who presented the research, said.<\/p>\n Smoking bans and limits on areas where people can smoke can also limit people\u2019s ability to convene with others and participate in social activities.<\/p>\n Unrelated studies have also found that being alone and unhappy<\/a> could be detrimental to health, and potentially worse than smoking by speeding up the aging process.<\/p>\n The World Health Organization has even dubbed loneliness a \u201cpressing health threat,\u201d<\/a> with\u00a0the risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.<\/p>\n A 2023 study from the University of Glasgow<\/a> in Scotland found that not socializing with friends or family may increase the risk of dying early by 39%.<\/p>\n And being on your own also carries the risk of anxiety, depression, poor immune function,\u00a0cardiovascular issues<\/a>, and even brain shrinkage.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/140021687.jpg\")
Although often considered a social activity, new research suggests the opposite effect for those who choose to smoke.<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/elderly-man-sits-edge-bed-140021535.jpg\")
Compared to non-smokers, those who regularly smoked cigarettes were found to experience more feelings of loneliness. Jovo Jovanovic\/Stocksy \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n