More than 4,000 additional robotic pets to be given to seniors in New York to combat loneliness

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Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, has researched the health effects of loneliness for the last 25 years. Her research was cited in Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's 2023 declaration of an "epidemic of loneliness and isolation."

"The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day," the advisory states, a reference to Holt-Lunstad's work.

She explained, "When we are alone or not part of a group, it takes more effort to either be vigilant to threats in our environment or to just meet the everyday demands of life."

Holt-Lunstad continued that the stresses of being socially disconnected "can increase activation in our brain." Over time, increased activation in the brain can signal the bone marrow to create an inflammatory response. Chronic systemic inflammation has been linked to a host of diseases, said Holt-Lunstad.

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