FEELING left out has a lot of harmful effects on emotional and mental well-being. The social ties that help manage stress levels are, in fact, eroded when we feel like we don't belong in a particular communal setting or activity. Over time, the small emotions associated with feeling left out balloon, and we are often left to deal with stress that is much more than we can handle.
A 2018 study by health insurance firm Cigna painted a clear picture of the magnitude of social isolation's effects. Half of the 20,000 Americans surveyed admitted feeling lonely, with 40 percent saying that they felt like their social relationships were not meaningful. The report included research that showed isolation was as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, having an alcohol abuse problem and did twice as much harm as obesity.
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