Not having friends may be as deadly as smoking, according to a new Harvard study which found a link between social isolation and levels of a blood-clotting protein which can cause heart attacks and stroke. Researchers found that having 10-12 fewer friends had the same impact on fibrinogen levels as taking up smoking.

What can having no friends cause?

Having no friends could be as deadly as smoking, researchers at Harvard University have suggested, after discovering a link between loneliness and the levels of a blood-clotting protein which can cause heart attacks and stroke.

Do loners marry?

I have a lot of friends and I also became very good at being by myself. Thats what usually happens when loners marry, therapists say. In fact, its probably the only way these marriages can stay intact. Typically, the wife married to a loner does the socializing for both of them.