2025 WSC Weekly30期：孤独的危害相当于每天抽15根烟？

WSC Weekly

2025世界学者杯

the World Scholar's Cup

@WSC小学者们！Jerry喊你来看

WSC Weekly专栏啦！

2025年度主题：重燃未来

Reigniting the Future

WSC Weekly专栏将精选最新话题内容

助力小学者准备世界学者杯！

让我们怀着

永恒的学术精神与信念

探索未来的无限可能吧！

锁定每周WSC Weekly

上期回顾&Quiz答案揭晓

在2025年世界学者杯第29期WSC Weekly栏目中，我们与小学者一起了解了火箭邮如何从19世纪的狂想，经历20世纪的实验热潮与军事实验，最终在航空与数字时代落下帷幕。在上期的趣味Quiz中，你是否找到了正确答案？现在就让我们一起来揭晓吧！

用火箭送快递可行吗？

The dream of rocket mail

第29期Quiz答案揭晓：

Suppose an alien visiting the earth was hit by a nuclear cruise missile delivering mail. Where was the accident most likely to happen?

假设一位造访地球的外星人被一枚运送邮件的核巡航导弹击中。事故最可能发生在哪里？

A. US 美国

B. France 法国

C. Netherlands 荷兰

D. Germany 德国

E. Tonga 汤加

正确答案：A

Key: A

2025年第30期

Weekly Intro

孤独是个人情感困扰还是公共健康危机？它如何像吸烟一样危害健康，并侵蚀社会根基？

本期Weekly将深入探讨全球孤独流行病的身心代价与系统性解决方案，一起来看看吧！

2025 No.30

孤独的危害相当于每天抽15根烟？

Loneliness as an overlooked global health threat

被忽视的全球流行病

孤独长期以来一直被视为一种私人的情感困境，但如今公共卫生领域的专家警告称，孤独已经成为一种具有严重后果的全球性流行病。世界卫生组织（WHO）已将孤独列为全球关注的问题，指出其影响不仅限于个体的身心健康，还威胁到社区和经济体系的稳定。美国公共卫生署署长维韦克·默西（Dr. Vivek Murthy）曾指出，长期孤独的影响相当于每天抽15支香烟，其风险甚至高于肥胖或缺乏运动。与其他健康风险不同，孤独常常不被察觉，但它会持续地提高患病和过早死亡的可能性。专家们强调，解决孤独问题的紧迫性应与心血管疾病或糖尿病相当。

Loneliness has long been considered a private emotional struggle, but public health leaders now warn it is a global epidemic with severe consequences. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared loneliness a worldwide concern, pointing out that it affects not just individual well-being but also the stability of communities and economies.U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy described chronic loneliness as comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, with risks even higher than obesity or lack of exercise. Unlike other health risks, loneliness often goes unrecognized, yet it steadily raises the likelihood of disease and premature death. As experts emphasize, addressing loneliness requires the same urgency as combating cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

惊人的健康代价

孤独带来的健康负担令人震惊。研究表明，社会隔离的人更容易患上痴呆症、心脏病、中风、抑郁和焦虑。对于老年人来说，这种风险尤其显著：孤独会使患痴呆症的风险增加50%，患冠心病或中风的风险增加约30%。孤独对于年轻人的影响同样不容忽视。全球约有5%至15%的青少年报告有孤独感，考虑到污名化和社会偏见导致的低报率，实际数字可能更高。青少年时期的孤独会产生连锁效应：感到孤立的学生更可能失去学习动力、辍学，在未来的职业中更难以获得满足感。孤独也加重了医疗系统的负担：孤立的个体更频繁就医，更多依赖急诊服务，住院时间也更长。综上所述，孤独不仅是一个“软性”的社会问题，更是疾病和医疗开支上升的重要推动因素。

The medical toll of loneliness is staggering.Studies show that socially isolated individuals are more likely to develop dementia, heart disease, stroke, depression, and anxiety. For older adults, the statistics are especially alarming: loneliness raises the risk of dementia by 50%, and coronary artery disease or stroke by about 30%.Younger populations are far from immune. Between 5% and 15% of adolescents worldwide report feelings of loneliness, with numbers likely higher than surveys suggest due to stigma and underreporting. Loneliness at this age has a ripple effect—students who feel isolated are more likely to disengage from school, drop out of higher education, or struggle with job satisfaction later in life. The condition also burdens healthcare systems: isolated individuals visit doctors more often, rely heavily on emergency services, and face longer hospital stays.Taken together, these outcomes show that loneliness is not a soft social issue, but a driver of illness and higher healthcare costs.

孤独的全球分布图

孤独无处不在，但在不同地区和年龄群体中，孤独的普遍程度存在显著差异。一项覆盖113个国家的大型分析显示，青少年的孤独感报告率在东南亚为9.2%，在东地中海地区为14.4%。非洲的孤独感比例也较高，约为13%，而欧洲的比例最低，仅约为5%。在成年人群体中，这种对比更加鲜明。北欧国家由于拥有更强大的福利体系和较强的社区参与传统，老年人的孤独率相对较低。相比之下，东欧被认为是全球最孤独的地区，有超过21%的老年人报告长期处于孤立状态。研究人员提出了多种解释来说明这些差异：经济不平等、人口结构变化（如家庭规模缩小）以及社区机构的弱化，都是导致孤独加剧的重要因素。在某些地区，对孤独的社会污名可能也压抑了人们的报告意愿；而在其他地区，强调互助的文化规范可能减弱了孤独感的影响。这些差异凸显了一个关键事实：孤独不仅是个体的问题，更深刻地根植于社会、文化和经济结构之中。

Loneliness is present everywhere, but its prevalence differs widely between regions and age groups.A large meta-analysis of 113 countries revealed that adolescent loneliness ranged from 9.2% in Southeast Asia to 14.4% in the Eastern Mediterranean. Africa also showed high levels at around 13%, while Europe reported the lowest at roughly 5%.Among adults, the contrast is even sharper. Northern European nations, with stronger welfare systems and cultural traditions of community engagement, report comparatively low loneliness rates among older people. In contrast, Eastern Europe stands out as the loneliest region globally, with more than 21% of seniors reporting chronic isolation. Researchers suggest several explanations for these differences: economic inequality, demographic changes such as shrinking family sizes, and weakening of community institutions all contribute. In some regions, stigma about loneliness may also suppress reporting, while in others cultural norms of interdependence may buffer its effects.These variations highlight that loneliness is not simply an individual problem but one deeply tied to social, cultural, and economic structures.

数据缺失的挑战

新冠疫情进一步加剧了人们对孤独问题的关注。封锁措施、旅行限制和学校关闭迫使数百万人长期与社会隔离，使原本已存在的问题更加严重。然而，专家警告称，早在疫情暴发之前，孤独感就在全球范围内上升。解决孤独问题所面临的主要挑战之一，是缺乏长期、标准化的数据。在许多国家，孤独感并未被持续追踪，这使得科学家难以判断问题是否在恶化，也无法在不同社会间进行趋势比较。如果没有高质量的数据，政府就无法制定有效的干预措施，从而难以让易受孤独影响的人群得到应有的支持。填补这一数据缺口，是把孤独作为全球健康优先事项进行应对的关键一步。

The COVID-19 pandemic brought loneliness into sharper focus. Lockdowns, travel restrictions, and school closures forced millions into prolonged isolation, exacerbating pre-existing issues. However, experts caution that loneliness was already on the rise before the pandemic.One of the major challenges in confronting loneliness is the lack of long-term, standardized data.In many countries, loneliness has not been consistently tracked, making it difficult to measure whether the problem is worsening or to compare trends across societies. Without high-quality data, governments cannot design effective interventions, leaving vulnerable populations without support. Closing this data gap is essential if loneliness is to be tackled as a global health priority.

全球协同应对

为应对这一孤独危机，世卫组织发起了为期三年的“国际社会联结委员会”（International Commission on Social Connection），由美国公共卫生署署长默西博士和非洲联盟青年特使奇多·姆潘巴（Chido Mpemba）共同担任联合主席。该委员会的使命不仅是提升公众认知，还要构建全球适用的解决框架。这包括：改进数据收集、资助相关研究，并推动各国政府将社会联结视为公共健康的核心支柱。专家指出，干预措施不能只是鼓励人们“多交朋友”，而是需要应对系统性障碍：如缺乏安全住房、不平等的教育机会、过长的工作时间和社区瓦解等。那些创造联结机会的项目，如代际共居计划、社区中心、注重员工福祉的企业举措等，才是真正有效的方式。姆潘巴强调，“社会孤立无年龄或边界之分”，指出孤独不仅是老年人的问题，更影响年轻人、职场人乃至整个社会。

To address this crisis, the WHO has launched the International Commission on Social Connection, a three-year initiative co-chaired by Dr. Murthy and African Union youth envoy Chido Mpemba.The commission’s mission is not only to raise awareness but to build a framework for solutions that work globally. This includes improving data collection, funding research, and encouraging governments to treat social connection as a pillar of public health.Experts argue that interventions must go beyond urging individuals to “be more social.” Instead, they need to tackle systemic barriers: lack of safe housing, inequitable access to education, long working hours, and community disintegration.Programs that create opportunities for connection—like intergenerational housing projects, community centers, and workplace initiatives that value well-being—can make meaningful differences. Mpemba emphasizes that “social isolation knows no age or boundaries,” underscoring that loneliness is not only an issue for older adults but one that affects young people, workers, and entire societies.

Weekly关键词 Key Words►

loneliness 孤独

WHO 世界卫生组织

Vivek Murthy 维韦克·默西

所属话题

The Best is Yet to Be, or Not To Be?

相关阅读

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/nov/16/who-declares-loneliness-a-global-public-health-concern

https://www.sciencealert.com/global-review-finds-loneliness-is-a-common-and-harrowing-issue-we-are-overlooking

Weekly FUN Quiz

相信现在你已经知道了孤独如何从一种个人感受，演变为危害堪比每日吸烟15支的全球公共健康危机了吧！那就快来参与本期Weekly FUN Quiz👇，告诉老师你的答案吧！

Quiz

Old people living in which of the following countries are most likely to suffer from loneliness? 以下哪个国家的老年人最容易遭受孤独感？

A. Uganda 乌干达

B. Japan 日本

C. Iceland 冰岛

D. Hungary 匈牙利

E. Canada 加拿大