Loneliness and Telomere Length: Immune and Parasympathetic Function in Associations With Accelerated Aging

Lonely people’s heightened risks for chronic health conditions and early mortality may emerge in part through cellular aging. Lonelier people have more severe sympathetic responses to acute stress, increasing their risk for herpesvirus reactivation, a possible path to shorter telomeres. Parasympathetic function may modulate this risk. The current study aimed to examine the associations among loneliness, herpesvirus reactivation, and telomere...