Extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s chances of premature death by 14 percent, according to new findings from psychologist John Cacioppo.

The research, presented during the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference in Chicago, shows the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which Cacioppo determined increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent. Another study determined loneliness was twice as deadly as obesity.

Cacioppo and his colleagues looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in the physical and mental health of people as they age; they also examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to measure their resilience. They reviewed survey responses from more than 2,100 adults 55 and older, accounting for age, gender and socioeconomic status. Seniors suffering from severe loneliness were nearly twice as likely to die over the six-year study period than others.

Older Americans facing loneliness may lack sleep, have elevated blood pressure and face morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol, among other effects, Cacioppo said during the talk “Rewarding Social Connections Promote Successful Aging.”

“Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers isn’t necessarily a good idea if it means you are disconnected from the people who mean the most to you,” said Cacioppo, director of the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of Chicago. He suggests seniors stay in touch with former co-workers and take part in family traditions to avoid feelings of isolation.

Cacioppo identified three core dimensions to healthy relationships: intimate connectedness, which comes from having someone in your life you feel affirms who you are; relational connectedness, which comes from mutually rewarding face-to-face contacts; and collective connectedness, which comes from feeling that you are part of a larger group or collective body. Although some people are happy alone, most thrive from social situations in which they provide mutual support.

“We are experiencing a silver tsunami demographically. The baby boomers are reaching retirement age. Each day between 2011 and 2030, an average of 10,000 people will turn 65,” he said. “People have to think about how to protect themselves from depression, low subjective well-being and early mortality.”

As Cacioppo wrote in his 2008 book, Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection: “Humans are, after all, inherently social beings. When people are asked what pleasures contribute most to happiness, the overwhelming majority rate love, intimacy, and social affiliation above wealth or fame, even above physical health.”