Loneliness is something quite present in the world today and for some reason, not everyone knows what it really consists of. Loneliness is more than just missing being around other people.
According to HRSA.gov, loneliness has become an epidemic here in the US. Actually so much so that two in five Americans reported feeling lonely when they were going around gaining information on loneliness as a whole. While we can go out and make friends, that’s not as easy as it sounds for everyone.
Below I am going to go over some things about loneliness or feeling lonely in general that not everyone is aware of. If you’ve not experienced proper loneliness you might be overlooking some of these things. While not every single person will experience all of these many people will experience most of them and that is worth being aware of.
12 Things Not Everyone Knows About Loneliness:
1. Loneliness might be capable of affecting our brains in the way physical pain does.
Yes, there is evidence that this could very well be happening. While loneliness is different for everyone those who experience it on a chronic level might take it on as if it were physical pain. This makes a lot of sense as communicating and interacting with other people for most of history was crucial for survival.
2. Loneliness can keep you up at night.
People who are lonely tend to also experience trouble sleeping. The more alone you feel the more disturbed your sleeping habits might become. While you’d assume it would be the opposite, it isn’t.
3. Loneliness can be quite dangerous.
Loneliness overall can contribute to premature death. A study from back in 2012 found this to be quite present in our world. While it might sound a bit out older men and women were more likely to die during the study period if they were feeling lonely. Perhaps keeping the right connections going could do more for us than we expect.
4. Loneliness causes our immune system to function less effectively.
While it could be hard to grasp, loneliness might be increasing your heart disease risks, dementia risks, and even activating the immune pattern of fight or flight. You can read more on all of this by clicking here. Loneliness is no laughing matter, that’s for sure.
5. Feeling lonely messes with our relationship perception.
The lonelier we feel the more we will withdrawal from the people who matter the most in our lives. This is because it makes us feel differently about the connection we have with that person overall. We are more-so hesitant to connect for a number of reasons.
6. Loneliness can be contagious.
When you’re feeling lonely you withdrawal more as noted above. This can also in return make the people in your life feel lonely as well. The lonelier you are the more lonely those who care for you might end up feeling as a result. While this is not something you can do much about it is quite important to be aware of.
7. You can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely.
Just because you’re surrounded by people doesn’t mean you don’t feel alone. If you’re not feeling understood or cared for you will become lonely. You will long for a connection that you’re not getting as is.
8. Loneliness doesn’t have a set cause.
There are lots of things that can play into becoming lonely. Just because someone is alone doesn’t mean they’re lonely and just because someone is surrounded by others doesn’t mean they’re not lonely. The sooner we come to terms with this the better.
9. Loneliness increases stress and poor decision making.
Loneliness can affect a person’s mental state big time. There are lots of things associated with the feeling of loneliness itself. The lonelier we become the more stressed we might find ourselves.
10. Loneliness is estimated to affect over 40 percent of the population.
While you might feel alone, you’re not. There are tons of people feeling the same way you are. Loneliness is quite present in this world.
11. You can be married/in a relationship and still feel lonely.
As noted above just because you’re with people doesn’t mean you’re not going to feel lonely. Even people who are married sometimes feel lonely. Just being in a relationship isn’t always enough to ward off those kinds of feelings.
12. Loneliness can make us obsess over physical material items more.
When we feel alone we tend to find other ways of coping which in many cases results in the purchasing of lots of ‘stuff.’ We surround ourselves with stuff as an attempt to feel less alone and whether it helps or not is subjective.
Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/loneliness
https://www.hrsa.gov/enews/past-issues/2019/january-17/loneliness-epidemic
http://www.oprah.com/health/just-say-hello-fight-loneliness/1?print=1
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14551436
http://www.journalsleep.org/ViewAbstract.aspx?pid=28332
https://www.verywellmind.com/loneliness-causes-effects-and-treatments-2795749