Older people are often thought of as being lonely. Maybe their partner has passed away and they live alone, and their age means they can’t get around like they used to.

　　人们往往认为老年人很孤独。由于老伴可能已经离世，他们只好独自生活，年龄大了又意味着他们没有办法像过去那样四处走动。

　　Research has shown how loneliness is bad for our health. For example, one study looked at how being lonely can increase the levels of stress hormones in our bodies, which have been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and dementia. Another showed how lonely people have a 50% increased risk of early death.

　　研究已经证明孤独对身体的伤害。例如，一项研究考察了孤独如何推高人体应激激素的水平，而心脏病、糖尿病和痴呆据认为都与应激激素存在关联。还有一项研究证明，孤独可以让人的寿命缩短概率增加50%。

　　Older people are already at a higher risk of health issues, so this is bad news if they are more likely to be lonely too.

　　老年人出现各种健康问题的风险原本就高，如果这个群体还更容易孤独，那上面所说的真是一个坏消息。

　　But while we think of older people being more solitary, and thus more lonely, this might not actually be true.

　　不过，要是人们认为老年人因为独居就更加孤独，那么实际情况恐怕不是这样的。

　　According to the work of Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a psychology professor at Brigham Young University in Utah, loneliness is actually at its peak among teenagers and young adults.

　　据美国杨伯翰大学心理学教授朱莉安娜.霍尔特-伦斯塔德的研究显示，最孤独寂寞的其实是少年和青壮年。

　　Holt-Lunstad and her colleagues analysed 70 studies, and found that there were stronger risks of loneliness-related illness for under- 65s than over-65s.

　　霍尔特-伦斯塔德与同事分析了70项研究，发现65岁以下人群患与孤独有关疾病的风险超过65岁以上群体。

　　Also, the US National Social Life, Health and Aging Project states that just 30% of older adults feel lonely fairly often.

　　另外，美国全国社会生活、健康与老龄化计划部门表示，只有30%的老年人经常感到孤独。

　　"Older adults should not be the sole focus of the effects of loneliness and social isolation. We need to address this for all ages," Holt-Lunstad told The New York Times, which summed up the health impacts of loneliness in a recent article.

　　霍尔特-伦斯塔德对《纽约时报》记者说：“我们研究孤独及社会隔绝的影响不应只关注老年人。我们应把这个问题扩大到所有年龄段。”《纽约时报》在前不久的一篇文章中总结了孤独对健康的影响。

　　"If we recognize social connections as a fundamental human need, then we can’t discount the risks of being socially isolated even if people don’t feel lonely," she added.

　　她还说：“如果我们承认社会交往是人类的根本需求，那么就不能低估社会隔绝的风险，即使人们没有孤独感。”

　　Being lonely and being alone are two different things. While older people might be alone much of the time, this doesn’t mean they are unhappy about it.

　　孤独与独来独往是两回事。虽然老年人在很多时候是独自一人，但这并不意味着他们因此不开心。

　　In fact, people can feel lonely when they’re surrounded by others. Many lonely people are also married.

　　实际上，被别人众星捧月时反而可能让人心生孤独。许多孤独的人都是已婚人士。

　　"Being unmarried is a significant risk," Dr. Holt-Lunstad told the New York Times, "but not all marriages are happy ones. We have to consider the quality of relationships, not simply their existence or quantity."

　　霍尔特-伦斯塔德说：“单身的确有很高的孤独风险，不过并非桩桩婚姻都幸福美满。我们必须考虑人际关系的质量，而不仅仅是人际关系是否存在以及数量多少。”

　　It is well known that things like alcohol, diet, smoking, and air pollution can contribute to us living shorter lives.

　　众所周知，饮酒、吸烟以及空气污染等因素都可能导致寿命缩短。

　　But it’s important not to overlook loneliness as something that can be detrimental to both our psychological and physical well-being too.

　　但重要的是，不能忽视孤独这个因素，孤独不仅损害人们的心理健康，也损害身体健康。