“As a species, we’re not meant to be without other people,” associate professor at the University of British Columbia Annalijn Conklin told AARP. “If you are socially isolated, it raises your cortisol levels to put you in a fight-or-flight response.” Although the body’s fight-or-flight response may vary between men and women, experts at Macomb Medical Clinic explain that when our body is in this state, our blood pressure increases. While being in a state of fight-or-flight usually subsides after the perceived threat has passed, experiencing elevated levels of stress on an ongoing basis, even mildly, can lead to hypertension down the line.
In fact, 2018 research published in Antioxidants & Redox Signaling cites loneliness and social isolation as two cardiovascular disease risk factors. The researchers point out that people experiencing loneliness have been shown to have increased blood pressure levels and increased peripheral vascular resistance, or the circulatory resistance our body uses to generate blood pressure (via StatPearls). Even in the animal kingdom, social isolation has been linked with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition to increasing the risk of hypertension, social isolation has also been associated with a greater risk of mortality. Because we tend to become more susceptible to social isolation as we grow older, interpersonal connection is particularly important for older adults.