Loneliness

Loneliness is an unpleasant emotional response to perceived or actual social isolation. Loneliness has been described as social pain, a psychological mechanism that motivates individuals to seek social connections. The causes of loneliness are varied. Loneliness can be a result of systemic issues, genetic inheritance, cultural factors, a lack of meaningful relationships, a significant loss, an excessive reliance on passive technologies (particularly the Internet in the 21st century), and a self-perpetuating mindset. Research has demonstrated that loneliness is ubiquitous in society, including among people in marriages along with other strong relationships and those with successful careers. Most people suffer temporary loneliness at some points in their lives, with about one in six of the world's population experiencing significant long-term loneliness. Adolescents tend to experience the highest levels of loneliness; in later years it tends to decrease. This is in contrast with social isolation, which tends to increase with age, but on average older people grow less bothered by it at an even faster rate. Transient or short-term loneliness is generally seen as a positive, adaptive response. While unpleasant, it motivates individuals to seek social connection, similar to how short-term hunger motivates one to eat. Chronic or long-term loneliness on the other hand, is generally correlated with negative effects. These include increased obesity, substance use disorder, risk of depression, cardiovascular disease, risk of high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Medical treatments for loneliness include beginning therapy and taking antidepressants. Social treatments for loneliness generally include an increase in interaction with others, such as group activities (such as exercise or religious activities), re-engaging with old friends or colleagues, owning pets, and becoming more connected with one's community. Loneliness has long been a theme in literature, going back to the Epic of Gilgamesh. However, academic coverage of loneliness was sparse until recent decades. In the 21st century, some academics and professionals have claimed that loneliness has become an epidemic, including Vivek Murthy, a former Surgeon General of the United States.

Causes

Existential Loneliness has long been viewed as a universal condition which, at least to a moderate extent, is felt by everyone. From this perspective, some degree of loneliness is inevitable as the limitations of human life mean it is impossible for anyone to continually satisfy their inherent need for connection. Professors including Michele A. Carter and Ben Lazare Mijuskovic have written books and essays tracking the existential perspective and the many writers who have talked about it throughout history. Thomas Wolfe's 1930s essay God's Lonely Man is frequently discussed in this regard; Wolfe makes the case that everyone imagines they are lonely in a special way unique to themselves, whereas really every single person sometimes experiences loneliness. While agreeing that loneliness alleviation can be a good thing, those who take the existential view tend to doubt such efforts can ever be fully successful, seeing some level of loneliness as both unavoidable and even beneficial, as it can help people appreciate the joy of living.

Cultural Culture is discussed as a cause of loneliness in two senses. Migrants can experience loneliness due to missing their home culture. Studies have found this effect can be especially strong for students from countries in Asia with a collectivist culture, when they go to study at universities in more individualist English-speaking countries. Culture is also seen as a cause of loneliness in the sense that Western culture may have been contributing to loneliness, ever since the Enlightenment began to favour individualism over older communal values.

Lack of meaningful relationships

For many people, their family of origin did not offer the trust-building relationships needed to build a reference that lasts a lifetime, even in memory after the passing of a loved one. This can be due to parenting style, traditions, and mental health issues including personality disorders and abusive family environments. Sometimes religious shunning is also present. This impacts the ability of individuals to know themselves, to value themselves, and to relate to others (or to do so with great difficulty). All these factors and many others are often overlooked by the standard medical or psychological advice that recommends to go meet friends or family and to socialise. This is not always possible when there is no one available to relate to and an inability to connect without the skills and knowledge on how to proceed. With time, a person might become discouraged or develop apathy from numerous trials, failures or rejections brought on by the lack of interpersonal skills. As the rate of loneliness increases yearly among people of every age group and more so in the elderly, with known detrimental physical and psychological effects, there is a need to find new ways to connect people with each other. Addressing loneliness is especially challenging and needed at a time when much of human attention is focused on electronic devices.

Relationship loss Loneliness is a very common, though often temporary, consequence of a relationship breakup or bereavement. The loss of a significant person in one's life will typically initiate a grief response; in this situation, one might feel lonely, even while in the company of others. Loneliness can occur due to the disruption to one's social circle, sometimes combined with homesickness, which results from people moving away for work or education.

Situational

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