Bright sunshine and warm skies this near-about noon on California’s north coast, with today a short respite from drizzle and rain — a new storm expected tomorrow, and supposedly to last through the weekend.

Yesterday, a new study reported on another possible deadly ‘epidemic‘ in the near future — being lonely, just as bad as obesity.
Published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, research indicates being away from some type social structure has long-lasting effects — from the abstract:

‘Actual and perceived social isolation are both associated with increased risk for early mortality…Overall, the influence of both objective and subjective social isolation on risk for mortality is comparable with well-established risk factors for mortality.’

One indeed the loneliest number.

(Illustration found here).

And it’s just not us old folks, either.
Via a Brigham Young University press release on the ‘lonely study’:

The association between loneliness and risk for mortality among young populations is actually greater than among older populations.
Although older people are more likely to be lonely and face a higher mortality risk, loneliness and social isolation better predict premature death among populations younger than 65 years.
“Not only are we at the highest recorded rate of living alone across the entire century, but we’re at the highest recorded rates ever on the planet,” said Tim Smith, co-author of the study.
“With loneliness on the rise, we are predicting a possible loneliness epidemic in the future.”
…
Previous research from Holt-Lunstad and Smith puts the heightened risk of mortality from loneliness in the same category as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and being an alcoholic.
This current study suggests that not only is the risk for mortality in the same category as these well-known risk factors, it also surpasses health risks associated with obesity.
“In essence, the study is saying the more positive psychology we have in our world, the better we’re able to function not just emotionally but physically,” Smith said.

And the world continues to get more weird — and there’s way-too much research into all that weird, amongst other craziness.
Via SFGate:

A new study shows that there are too damn many new studies.
And it’s not just a funny headline: There are real-world implications.
The study, which surely must be aware of its own irony, found that researchers are experiencing “attention decay” because of the glut of academic papers.
Just like we’re overwhelmed by the bounty of the internet, researchers are forgetting important studies because they’re swimming in nonessential ones.
As a result, the study expresses concern that scientists and researchers are forgetting truly valuable research that could advance the field.
Instead, like us, the study on toast falling butter-side down is front of mind.
You can read the full study on Cornell University’s website.

Just too many studies, reviews, inquiries, examinations…a list can be analyzed for days.
Or, how about rehashing lonely?