On Belly we spend a portion of our time talking about environmental issues. Chemicals in food. Water quality. Organic this and spray free that. But there’s another variable influencing human health that rarely gets framed with enough attention.

Loneliness.

I don’t mean the occasional quiet weekend or chosen solitude. I mean a rising epidemic of chronic social disconnection.

Large meta-analyses have found that social isolation is associated with a significantly increased risk of premature mortality. In some comparisons, the increased risk is comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Not metaphorically. Statistically.

That should give us pause.

Because this isn’t just about if someone feels “popular” or liked. It’s about societal health, on the grand scale.

Your Nervous System Reads Isolation as Threat

One of the largest groups of people living amongst us today and experiencing this form of loneliness is our ageing population.

Someone who has a history of organising events and gatherings for older people to come together and reconnect is my guest on Belly today Pippy Wardell.

Pippy worked at the BCC for a long time running the Volunteer Hub and organized the seniors’ activities at the center for about 10 years before the Seniors Club was started, but this year the funding for that unfortunately stopped so Pippy put her happy hat back on to organise a very special event happening this week.

It’s a colourful celebration of Byron’s seniors' community at the Byron Community Cabin on Thursday 12 March, 10am - 2pm.