The Silent Killer That Can Be WORSE Than Smoking

Brad Stanfield

Jun 22, 2025

Episode description

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Here are the links to the research papers referenced in the video:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01617-6
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-024-00328-9
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6499407/
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2827710
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-023-15967-3
https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj-2021-067068
https://www.who.int/news/item/15-11-2023-who-launches-commission-to-foster-social-connection
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/n/surgepidlonliness/pdf/
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/families/bulletins/familiesandhouseholds/2023
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9817115/
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-023-17097-2

Thumbnail by James Kelly
Video edited by Troy Young
Script by John Milliken

The links above are affiliate links, so I receive a small commission every time you use them to purchase a product. The content contained in this video, and its accompanying description, is not intended to replace viewers’ relationships with their own medical practitioner. Always speak with your doctor regarding the content of this channel, and especially before using any products, services, or devices discussed on this channel.

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Combat loneliness to slow cellular aging

Loneliness has been linked to shorter telomere length, which is a direct marker of cellular aging.

#aging

#loneliness

Combat social isolation to reduce mortality risk

Social isolation, an objective measure of connections, increases all-cause mortality by 32%, while the feeling of loneliness increases it by 14%.

#mortality

#relationships

Combat social isolation to reduce cancer and heart disease risk

Social isolation boosts the risk of cancer mortality by 24% and death from heart disease by 34%.

#cancer

#heart

Recognize social isolation's health risks as severe as smoking

The causal link between social isolation and poor health is considered as well-established as the link for smoking due to the overwhelming amount of data.

#relationships

#risk

Limit social media use to combat loneliness

Contrary to what one might expect, research has found that spending more time on social media is actually associated with more loneliness.

#loneliness

#social-media

Prioritize in-person connections to combat loneliness

Successful interventions to reduce loneliness are long-term, group-based, and involve in-person contact, as online solutions do not work nearly as well.