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Feeling Lonely With So Many People: New Research Suggests a Loneliness Problem

By HERWriter
 
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Loneliness is a common feeling, though people with mental disorders like depression probably feel it more than others.

Loneliness is characterized by feeling alone or being alone. However, you can feel alone and be surrounded by people, or you can be alone and not feel lonely. Being alone can be healthy, but too much loneliness can lead to mental and physical problems.

A new survey report by the Mental Health Foundation, a United Kingdom charity dedicated to mental health, found that the modern way of life may be contributing to loneliness.

For example, the report called "The Lonely Society?" stated that some causes for loneliness could be that more people are living alone, spending more time at work and less time socializing. Also, online social networking can lead to loneliness in cases where a person only talks to people online.

The results are hard to ignore: 48 percent of adults in the UK believe people are getting lonelier. Although this is hard to believe, 22 percent say they “never feel lonely,” but 11 percent “feel lonely often.”

Depression, whether as a diagnosis or a short-term feeling, can be linked to loneliness. For example, the survey found that 42 percent “have felt depressed because we felt alone.”

Depression and anxiety can both lead to actions that create more feelings of loneliness, since according to the survey, 57 percent “who have experienced depression or anxiety isolated ourselves from friends and family.”

There is still a stigma for loneliness, since the survey found that 30 percent “would be embarrassed to admit to feeling lonely.” This could be because independence is considered valuable, and someone who needs to be around others in order to counteract feelings of loneliness might not be deemed as independent.

Loneliness can be complicated. For example, I mentioned earlier that you can be surrounded by people and even have a “good social network,” but according to the report, you can also feel emotional loneliness. This is when a person feels like he or she is in a “state of isolation” and is “emotionally cut off.”

According to the report, in adults, emotional loneliness can be caused by lack of proper attachment to a caregiver, which makes it more difficult to form close relationships later on. Emotional loneliness can happen in teenagers because the brain is still developing and because they are trying to figure out their identities.

Loneliness can be caused by life events, like bad parenting and loss and trauma, according to the report.

People who feel lonely might also have low self-esteem, and feelings of rejection can create even more isolation.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Counseling Center website confirms that loneliness can be caused by being alone, lacking relationships that were present in the past, life changes, low self-esteem and negative self-image, as well as not being able to talk to anyone about certain feelings and experiences.

I would add that if your viewpoints on issues are different than most people, or if you are unique in various areas of life, it might be more challenging to relate to others, and that can also create feelings of loneliness. In that case, it is important to be accepting of people of all mindsets and to broaden your interests.

The next article will discuss more ways to feel less lonely and to find more pleasure in being alone, along with other findings on loneliness.

Sources:
http://www.counselingcenter.illinois.edu/?page_id=188\
http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/loneliness-and-mental-health/

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.