A lonely world, a depressed people

Depression is the largest health problem of our time. The number of people feeling so sad they call themselves depressed is increasing. This graph shows how Australian women are feeling more depressed.

One reason for this can be that we lose our bonds to others. Over the last two decades there has been a three-fold increase in the number of Americans who report having no confidant, says researchers from Brigham Young University in Utah who have studied friendship.

Their research shows that people who have few or no friends are in greater danger than people who are fat or alcoholic.

A study from Duke University found that 25 percent of Americans have no close social relations at all. That’s up from 10 percent in 1985. And fully half of all Americans have no close relationships outside of their immediate family.

So even if we have lots and lots of friends on Facebook, it doesn´t mean we are connected at all.

More info: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38436685/ns/health-behavior