Though our need to connect is innate, many of us frequently feel alone. 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 deep and pervasive loneliness. Research suggests that loneliness poses serious threats to well-being and long-term physical health.
Identifying and Fighting Loneliness
Whether a person lives in isolation or not, a lack of social connectedness can be painful. Loneliness can be described in different ways; a commonly used measure of 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 “in tune” with people around them
feel outgoing and friendly
Loneliness, Health, and Well-Being
Several 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 increased production of stress hormones , hinder sleep, and weaken immunity.
While a person can’t die simply from feeling too lonely, findings that lonely people have higher rates of mortality and certain diseases support the idea that, over time, chronic loneliness can contribute to increasing the risk of dying.
Feelings of loneliness and isolation affect people of all ages, although adolescents and the elderly may be especially likely to be affected.
About one in three Americans reports regularly feeling lonely, 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.
Explore More About Loneliness
For a comprehensive understanding of loneliness, read our complete guide: