很多人都認為獨居的老人最孤獨，但是研究人員發現，最孤獨的其實是青少年和青年，而且這部分人群患上孤獨相關疾病的風險更高。

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Older people are often thought of as being lonely. Maybe their partner has passed away and they live alone, and their age means they can't get around like they used to.

人們通常認為老年人是孤獨的。也許他們的配偶去世了，他們過著獨居生活，上了年紀意味著他們無法像過去一樣生活。

Research has shown how loneliness is bad for our health.

已有研究顯示，孤獨對健康是有害的。

For example, one study looked at how being lonely can increase the levels of stress hormones in our bodies, which have been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and dementia. Another showed how lonely people have a 50 percent increased risk of early death.

例如，一項研究發現，孤獨會令體內的壓力荷爾蒙水平升高，壓力荷爾蒙和心臟病、糖尿病和癡呆癥有關。另一項研究顯示，孤獨者的早逝風險增加50%。

But while we think of older people being more solitary, and thus more lonely, this might not actually be true.

雖然人們都以為老年人孤身一人的時候更多，所以更寂寞，但事實也許不是這樣。

According to the work of Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a psychology professor at Brigham Young University in Utah, loneliness is actually at its peak among teenagers and young adults.

美國猶他州楊百翰大學的心理學教授朱莉安娜·郝特-朗斯達的研究報告指出，實際上，青少年和青年才是最孤獨的。

Holt-Lunstad and her colleagues analysed 70 studies, and found that there were stronger risks of loneliness-related illness for under- 65s than over-65s.

郝特-朗斯達和她的同事們分析了70項研究后發現，65歲以下人群患孤獨相關疾病的風險比65歲以上人群更高。

Also, the US National Social Life, Health and Ageing Project states that just 30 percent of older adults feel lonely fairly often.

此外，美國國家社會生活、健康和老齡化項目稱，只有30%的老年人經常感到孤獨。

"Older adults should not be the sole focus of the effects of loneliness and social isolation. We need to address this for all ages," Holt-Lunstad told The New York Times, which summed up the health impacts of loneliness in a recent article.

郝特-朗斯達告訴《紐約時報》說：“老年人不應該是孤獨和與世隔絕效應唯一關注的焦點。我們需要關注各個年齡層的孤獨問題。”《紐約時報》近期的一篇文章中總結了孤獨對健康的影響。

"If we recognise social connections as a fundamental human need, then we can't discount the risks of being socially isolated even if people don't feel lonely," she added.

她補充說：“如果我們將社會聯系視為人類基本需求，我們就不能低估與世隔絕的風險，即使與世隔絕者并不感到孤獨。”

Being lonely and being alone are two different things. While older people might be alone much of the time, this doesn't mean they are unhappy about it.

孤獨和孤身一人是兩回事。老年人也許大部分時間都是孤身一人，但這不意味著他們不喜歡那樣的狀態。

In fact, people can feel lonely when they're surrounded by others. Many lonely people are also married.

事實上，人們在有人相伴時也會感到孤獨。很多已婚人士也會覺得孤獨。

"Being unmarried is a significant risk," Holt-Lunstad told the New York Times, "but not all marriages are happy ones. We have to consider the quality of relationships, not simply their existence or quantity."

“未婚是一個重大風險，”郝特-朗斯達告訴《紐約時報》說，“不過，并不是所有婚姻都幸福。我們必須考慮婚姻的質量，不能只看結婚與否或結婚時間長短。”

It is well known that things like alcohol, diet, smoking, and air pollution can contribute to us living shorter lives.

眾所周知，酒精、節食、吸煙和空氣污染等因素會縮短人們的壽命。

But it's important not to overlook loneliness as something that can be detrimental to both our psychological and physical well-being too.

不過，不要忽視孤獨對我們身心的危害也很重要。

英文來源：商業內幕網

翻譯&編輯：丹妮