Pakistan, July 2 -- A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO), a Geneva-based UN , has revealed that loneliness is responsible for more than 871,000 deaths worldwide each year- meaning over 100 lives lost every hour.
The report highlights the widespread impact of loneliness and social isolation on individuals and societies, calling it a "defining public health challenge of our time."
One in six people are affected by loneliness, with significant implications for health and well-being, the report said.
By contrast, strong social connections are associated with better health and longer life, it added.
WHO defines social connection as the ways in which people relate to and interact with one another. Loneliness is the distressing ...