A social support network is comprised of family, friends, and peers. Having intimate relationships with others helps you feel cared for and maintain optimism, and aids in stress management.
All of these emotional benefits lead to stronger immunity to help you fight disease and stress. Alternatively, according to Dean Ornish, MD, in his book Love and Survival: The Scientific Basis for the Healing Power of Intimacy, among heart patients, depression is as good a predictor of imminent death as smoking, obesity, or a previous heart attack. In a Duke University Medical Center study of 1, men and women with at least one severely blocked artery, the unmarried patients without close friends were three times more likely than the others to die over the next five years.
Similar findings came in a Canadian study of women with breast cancer. Seven years after diagnosis, 72 percent of the women with at least one intimate relationship survived; only 56 percent of those who did not have a confidant survived. The kind of intimacy necessary appears to be an emotional connection to someone, not necessarily a sexual relationship.
Another supporting study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that people with more diverse social networks less social isolation have a greater resistance to upper respiratory infections. But how do you resolve loneliness? Everyone feels a little lonely now and again, and experts say that this forlornness can actually be a good thing, as long as you do something about it. According to research published in the journal Sleep , loneliness can wreck your chances of getting a restful night's sleep.
Researchers measured the sleep cycles of 95 people in South Dakota, comparing them with the participant's self-reported loneliness scores. None of them lived isolated lives, but some reported feeling lonelier than others. The results? The lonelier the participant, the higher the levels of fragmented sleep. This means you wake up a little bit at night even though you aren't aware of it.
How does a steamy bath or piping-hot cup of coffee sound to you? If it sounds downright comforting, you may want to read this:. For his research, published in February in the journal Emotion , Bargh surveyed 51 college students about their levels of loneliness and everyday habits, and concluded that some people use physical warmth as a substitute for social warmth.
The students who reported feeling lonelier also tended to linger in the shower longer. There's nothing wrong with this, Bargh contends — people are not always in control of the reasons they feel alone. It could be due to a breakup , or a recent move. You can also use this finding to your advantage: Next time you're feeling lonesome, whip up a cup of hot cocoa.
The reason you're so attached to your new computer, suped-up bike, or overpriced purse? According to research published in the Journal of Consumer Research, some people go gaga over inanimate objects because they're lonely. The tricky thing about feelings is that they're different for everyone: Some people, for example, are perfectly fine having few friends, or enjoy spending a great deal of time alone.
For other people, those same scenarios would create a deep sense of loneliness and isolation. According to a survey released by health insurer Cigna in January , three in five people in the U. And figuring out how to feel less lonely depends partly on why you feel lonely to begin with. Try focusing on cultivating that closeness with others by setting intentional time to just be together — taking a walk with each other or going for coffee with no phones in sight.
Introverts definitely can get a bad reputation for living in isolation. In reality, for a lot of introverts, socializing can simply be exhausting , especially with big groups of people or environments where there's lots of networking.
While it can be fun to catch up on a surface level, it doesn't necessarily make you feel closer to those around you.
You can, theoretically, have a million friends, but if you don't invest time and energy into them, it's likely you'll continue feeling lonely. Find out more about cookies and your privacy in our policy.
Because loneliness is so common, it makes sense that there are also lots and lots of different reasons why people feel lonely. Here are a few of the main ones:. Recent research from ReachOut has shown that one in five young people reported feeling lonely 'most of the time' or 'always'. Sometimes loneliness can be caused by something else going on in our lives. Here are some of the major issues which can cause loneliness:. Loneliness can hit anyone at any time. But it's true that a lot of people tend to feel lonely during big life events.
Maybe your parents are getting separated. All of these things could be making you feel lonely and lost, and you might find it hard to connect with people around you. Here are a few quick dot points that cover some of the ways you can start feeling more at peace with the people in your life:. It's not always easy to find the right place to start.
Our 'What's on your mind? Why do people feel lonely? Here are a few of the main ones: Feeling distant from friends.
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