Being lonely could make your cold worse

By Emily Drooby, Buzz60

Feeling a little lonely is a drag, but it turns out it could also drag out your cold.

A study out of Rice University suggests people who are lonely say they have more severe cold symptoms than those who aren't.

The study took around 160 people, infected them with the cold virus, and stuck them in a hotel for five days.

Researchers quickly realized that people who reported being lonely actually described having symptoms that were worse than the people who didn't.

Now the study made sure to clarify that it's the quality of relationships — not how many they had — that affected people.

You know that saying about feeling alone in a crowded room? If you feel that way, it could affect your health because it's the perception that you're alone.

Per USA Today, one of the co-author's explained, "Lonely people typically have elevated inflammatory responses. That could be part of the story."

More importantly, this study can teach doctors to take that into consideration when dealing with patients who may be a bit isolated.

That doesn't mean coming to work when you've got the flu! You don't want to feel all alone when you're ill, but getting all your work friends sick doesn't seem like the best plan either.

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