50 Future Ideas You Really Need to Know by Richard Watson

Author:Richard Watson [Watson, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quercus
Published: 2013-05-13T16:00:00+00:00

Single-person future So what are some of the other implications of a world where more people live on their own? One area affected is retail. Increased numbers of single-person households, especially in inner-city areas, mean that value and convenience are usually more important than choice. One mundane, but nevertheless prophetic, example is that items such as chicken breasts can now be bought in packs of one in urban supermarkets rather than just in packs of two, four or six. This could be a profitable area for retailers because the margins on single-serve packs are often greater than on larger packs. Another is collaborative consumption, where people share resources because it’s cheaper than each individual owning, say, a car.

Another implication may be health. A Danish study found that older people who live alone have a greater risk of a sudden heart episode than those living with others. It’s a danger for men over 50, but not so much for women until they hit 60; but for both sexes, living alone after this age can double the risk of a heart episode. The authors note that it’s important to look beyond physical factors such as diabetes and smoking and examine the social and environmental issues that may contribute to heart disease. This ties in with previous studies which suggest that those of a lower socioeconomic group or with a lack of social support are a higher risk group for trouble. While social isolation may play a big part in this, people who live alone have an increased likelihood of classic individual risk factors such as smoking, obesity and a high-cholesterol diet.

Singled out

A survey by Duke University has found that single men and women with heart disease who lack close friends are more than 300 percent more likely to die within five years than those who are married or have a close networks of friends. Another study, from Yale, has found that men and women who said they were loved had significantly less blockages in their coronary arteries than those who said they were not. In other words, love and intimacy (or the lack of it) are among the most fundamental causes of what makes us sick or well. For example, when people are feeling lonely, depressed or emotionally anxious they may take refuge in food, alcohol and drugs, which can in turn lead to sickness and premature death. This in turn raises the question of whether a society that encourages individualism is literally killing us.

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