Psychology Facts

▼ Loneliness ▼

》As human beings, we are hardwired for social connection and interaction.

》Loneliness is the state of distress or discomfort that results when one perceives a gap between one's desires for social connection and actual experiences of it. Even some people who are surrounded by others throughout the day—or are in a long-lasting marriage—still experience a deep and pervasive loneliness.

the UCLA Loneliness Scale, asks individuals about a range of feelings or deficits of connection, including how often they:

feel they lack companionship

feel left out

feel "in tune" with people around them

feel outgoing and friendly

feel there are people they can turn to

》Loneliness does not depend on how many friends or relationships you have. Loneliness depends entirely on the subjective quality of your relationships

》There's evidence that lonely individuals have a sort of negativity bias in evaluating social interactions. Lonely people pick up on signs of potential rejection more quickly than do others, perhaps better to avoid it and protect themselves. People who feel lonely need to be aware of this bias so as to override it in seeking out companionship.

》Loneliness distorts our perceptions of our relationships. Studies have found that merely asking people to recall times they felt lonely was sufficient to make them devalue their relationships.

》Loneliness makes our bodies feel like under attack. Loneliness causes an immediate and severe bodily reaction. It increases in blood pressure and cholesterol, and it activates our physical and psychological responses

》A number of unfavorable outcomes have been linked to loneliness. In addition to its association with depressive symptoms and other forms of mental illness, loneliness is a risk factor for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and arthritis, among other diseases.
Lonely people are also twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, research suggests. The state of chronic loneliness may trigger adverse physiological responses such as the increased production of stress hormones, hinder sleep, and result in weakened immunity.

》While a person can't die simply from feeling too lonely, findings that lonely people have higher rates of mortality and certain diseases supports the idea that, over time, chronic loneliness can play a role in increasing the risk of dying.

》73 percent of Generation Z sometimes or always feel alone.

》Feelings of loneliness and isolation affect people of all ages, although adolescents and the elderly may be especially likely to be impacted.

》Research by Sense has shown that up to 50% of disabled people will be lonely on any given day.

》About 40 percent of Americans reported regularly feeling lonely in 2010, and other reports affirm that it is common for people to feel lonely at least some of the time. The high rates of reported loneliness have led some to declare an "epidemic," though it is not clear that loneliness is increasing in younger generations.

》People who feel lonely tend to experience more nighttime sleep disruptions than those who don't,  found a 2011 sudy.

》People who report being chronically lonely may have an overexpression of genes connected to cells that produce an inflammatory response to tissue damage, according to a 2011 study. (Literally breaking your heart)