Sometimes the results of one study end up being useful in another. That’s what happened with the Framingham Heart Study, begun in 1948.

Researchers decided to use the information to study loneliness and social networks. What they learned is surprising: Loneliness is contagious, just like a cold or flu.

Here are some things they learned:

People can be lonely even within their social network, and can pass that negative emotion along to others.

Most people feel lonely 48 days per year.

The number of days of feeling lonely can increase for each lonely friend, but can be reduced by 5 percent for every nonlonely friend.

If someone has a lonely friend who also has a lonely friend, the risk goes up, even if that other person is unknown.

The ability to “catch” loneliness from someone else:

Is worse for men than women.

Is worse among clusters of friends as opposed to family members.

Is worse for neighbors who live within one mile.

Researchers even created a graphical representation with small dots in yellow, green and blue, indicating the varying degrees of loneliness, linked by red and black lines, for family and friends and a spouse. They called it the Lonely Network, and each dot represented a person.

Feelings of loneliness are worse for the people at the end of the strands. Lonely people don’t trust social connections, can be hostile, are often shy and have low self-esteem. Their behavior begins a downward spiral when they perceive that they have less satisfying social experiences. They end up cutting their ties to others, but only after they’ve spread the feeling of loneliness to others -- like a cold.

As hard as this is to believe, researchers have already found similar connections between smoking, obesity and happiness. An updated The Caregiver

study tells us that the typical family caregiver is a 48-year-old woman caring for her widowed mother who does not live with her. She is married and employed. Approximately 66 percent of the estimated 65 million caregivers for seniors are women.

The average age of the person receiving the care is 66 to 69 years. Caregiver duties generally fall under the category of “Activities of Daily Living,” such as dressing, getting in and out of bed, bathing and eating.

A fair number of caregivers (66 percent) have some help from unpaid sources, but most don’t use paid assistance.

This has a lot to do with income too, as skilled care (or even someone to come in to clean) carries a high price tag. A full 70 percent of caregivers also work at a job.

There’s more use of the Internet now than there was just a few years ago, and more than half of caregivers report going online for information on treatment, services, facilities and doctors.

Caregivers spend around 20 hours a week providing direct care. If the caregiver lives with the recipient, that goes up to almost 40 hours a week.

Most have been taking care of someone for four years, and this is where the health concerns of the caregiver can come into play. While the majority of caregivers say their health is good at present, the length of time spent taking care of someone takes a toll.

Caregiving for more than five years or for more than 20 hours a week seems to be the cutoff where good health can begin to decline.

When it comes to emotional stress, one-third of caregivers say their stress level is a four on a one-tofive scale.

If you’re a caregiver, look for help, especially if you’ve done it for a number of years. Go online to the Eldercare Locator (www.eldercare. gov) or call 1-800- 677-1116. Also see Caring (www.caring. com) for information on caring for parents.

Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Write to her in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to columnreply@ gmail.com.

(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.