In 1962, Richard Yates wrote a book entitled “Eleven Kinds of Loneliness”. But it was fiction. More recently, Sarah Biddlecombe, an award-winning journalist at 'Stylist', explained that there are four distinct types of loneliness identified by psychologists: emotional, social, situational, and chronic.
Some of the most common causes of loneliness include: Social Anxiety, Isolation, Difficulty with Assertiveness, and Poor Self-awareness. Common types or forms of loneliness include: Lack of Physical Connection, Lack of Common Interests, Lack of Shared Values, Lack of Emotional Intimacy, and Lack of Self-Intimacy.
What causes loneliness? There is not one single cause of loneliness. Loneliness can often be a result of life changes or circumstances that include living alone, changing your living arrangements, having financial problems, or death of a loved one.
When someone feels lonely they are more likely to try to distract themselves with the other things in their lives. So if your colleague is always talking about their stamp collection, or always flying away on exotic solo city breaks rather than spending weekends at home, they might be feeling alone.
To be happy alone, experts say that it can help to try exercising, spending time in nature, or volunteering. Taking a break from social media or adopting a pet can also help you feel less lonely.
Some research suggests that loneliness can increase stress. It's also associated with an increased risk of certain mental health problems. For example, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and sleep problems. My anxiety and depression isolates me from people and stops me from being able to do the things I'd like to do.
While loneliness can affect individuals of all ages, studies show that some age groups are more vulnerable to experiencing feelings of isolation and disconnection. According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, young adults aged 18-24 report feeling lonely at higher rates than other age groups.
Young people feel loneliness the most
However, in contrast, the young report feeling lonely much more – with 40% saying they have felt this way at least some of the time. The BBC Loneliness Experiment surveyed 55,000 people and showed that 16–24-year-olds feel loneliness the most.
It is not surprising that loneliness hurts. A brain imaging study showed that feeling ostracized actually activates our neural pain matrix. In fact, several studies show that ostracizing others hurts us as much as being ostracized ourselves.
Loneliness causes people to feel empty, alone, and unwanted. People who are lonely often crave human contact, but their state of mind makes it more difficult to form connections with others.
Loneliness can lead to various psychiatric disorders like depression, alcohol abuse, child abuse, sleep problems, personality disorders and Alzheimer's disease.
It's characterized by constant and unrelenting feelings of being alone, separated or divided from others, and an inability to connect on a deeper level. It can also be accompanied by deeply rooted feelings of self-doubt, low self-esteem, or social anxiety.
Loneliness associated increases in inflammation and neural changes consistent with increased sensitivity to social threat and disrupted emotion regulation suggest interventions targeting maladaptive social cognitions may be especially effective.
Published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a study found that people's expectations from interpersonal relationships undergo considerable changes as they age — resulting in them often feeling lonelier as they grow older, even if they're not alone.
Who is most likely to be lonely? A recent study conducted by Cigna found that over half of Americans are experiencing loneliness. This study found that underrepresented racial groups and people with lower incomes tended to be lonelier than their counterparts.
My sense, from working with loneliness over the years, is that often in people's naming of this experience there is a confusion between different kinds of loneliness, and so I have found it useful to differentiate between three levels of loneliness–psychological, existential, and spiritual.
Most notably, researchers found that loneliness rates peak among people in their 20s, and reach their lowest point among those in their 60s. Many people also experience a spike in lonely feelings around their mid-40s.
Adults experience increased loneliness in their late 20s, mid-50s and late 80s, according to new research.
A growing body of research shows that young people are more likely to feel lonely than older adults. A number of factors may be at play. “You don't have to be alone to be lonely,” says primary care physician Dr. Michelle Blain.
Loneliness Can Cause 'Cravings' for Companionship as Strong as Hunger or Thirst. Research suggests that loneliness triggers neural responses in the brain similar to the activity they see when people are hungry and want food.
And so, we pepper the lonely with advice: you should go for a walk, go to the library, join an adult education class, go to a meetup group, do volunteer work. And it's true, the 'cure' for loneliness is not dependent on other people springing into action. No, it requires you, the lonely person, to spring into action.
Hawkley points to evidence linking perceived social isolation with adverse health consequences including depression, poor sleep quality, impaired executive function, accelerated cognitive decline, poor cardiovascular function and impaired immunity at every stage of life.