Loneliness
Question # 1 What does it mean to be lonely?
Loneliness is the emotional state created, when people have fewer social contacts and meaningful relationships than they would like - relationships that make them feel known and understood. Essentially, if you feel lonely, you are lonely. https://theweek.com/articles/815518/epidemic-loneliness
Loneliness is defined as perceived social isolation, a feeling of not having the social contacts one would like. Loneliness is not synonymous with social isolation (how often a person meets or speaks to friends and family) or with solitude (which implies a choice to be alone).
https://www.economist.com/international/2018/09/01/loneliness-is-a-serious-public-health-problem
Question # 2 Why do people feel lonely?
Scrolling through photos of parties, vacations, family gatherings, and weddings on social media may increase feelings of being left out or dissatisfaction with one's own life.
https://theweek.com/articles/815518/epidemic-loneliness
Question # 3 What happens when a person feels lonely?
People, who say that they often feel lonely, score higher on average for empathy for social pain. Maybe because they have experienced for themselves what it feels like to be left out, they empathize more with other people who find themselves in the same situation.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180928-the-surprising-truth-about-loneliness
Isolation increases the production of stress hormones.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/loneliness
Loneliness is strongly linked to depression, chronic pain, and fatigue. Lonely people slip into a “downward spiral� making the symptoms of pain and depression worse which makes people more isolated than before.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/media-spotlight/201312/surviving-loneliness
Loneliness can be a risk factor for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and arthritis. Lonely people are also twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/loneliness
Question # 4 What can help people to not feel lonely?
Volunteering helps people feel less isolated because volunteering is a meaningful way to connect with others and make new friends.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-solution-for-loneliness/
Having a good social support network might make pain and depression easier to handle.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/media-spotlight/201312/surviving-loneliness
Teach children that aloneness does not mean loneliness. Also, foster environments in which children look for, identify and intervene
when a peer seems lonely or disconnected from others.
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/05/ce-corner-isolation