Is loneliness really not healthy?

I’m not sure but I have read somewhere that couples tend to live healthier life than single people if in a good relationship. They tend to share lot and act as support systems of each other which helps reducing stress level a lot which might be the reason for it.

Loneliness isn’t something people want to, or even conditioned to like. But sadly it isn’t something you can avoid at will. In the world that favors sameness and superficiality, people with poor social skills inevitably take the hit. “Isolation” isn’t a recurring theme for many people for nothing.

But it all boils down to people’s definition of “loneliness”. You can be surrounded by family and friends yet feel lonely. “Alone” and “lonely” aren’t always the same. “Alone” is a physical condition, while “lonely” is a psychological one.

So you see, it’s all about psychological effect. Not sure about eating alone though, it sounds a bit too much to me. But in the end of the day it’s just a matter of whether you are comfortable being alone or not. In fact, “being alone” isn’t a bad thing sometimes. We just need some solitude to recharge ourselves.

I believe it. Living alone is fine, but being lonely is bad for physical and mental health for most people. I think loneliness is one of the biggest reasons teens get depressed. I think loneliness is sometimes what drives people to want to divorce their spouse. Prisoners put in solitary get stir crazy. We need interaction.

I wouldn’t equate it with smoking and obesity, considering those are physical issues, but loneliness surely can affect one’s mental health, especially if it’s forced, like being ostracized or isolated for whatever reason.
It also depends on a person. Some people deal with it much easier than others.

I like to be alone.

There are generally two circumstances.

1#: Lets hang out and beer and chicken strips.

#2: Text/email/call where someone has a problem I am expected to fix.

#1 is rare since my buddies can’t figure out how condoms work. But on occasion we meet up and then recap two years in two hours. I hear bitching about their wife and then I show them a picture of my fishtank and they don’t care. Then more bitching about how much fun they are missing out on.

#2 is pretty obvious.

Both of these things are dreadful to me..

So I am here. If I ever start to hate all you I can simply close the tab and never deal with you again.

Loneliness is not the same as being alone.

Some people can live alone without being lonely. Introverts, hermits, etc., whether or not they also have social skills. An introvert forced to live with other people without any alone time may be just as stressed as an extrovert living alone with few chances to socialize.

In the USA, the common popular culture and it’s media (including articles about health) has had a strong bias in favor of extroversion and against introversion for over a century, and so the introverted perspective is often unknown, disregarded, stigmatized, or considered unhealthy.

But even introverts can be lonely, and sure, like any imbalance, it tends to be unhealthy.

Being alone and feeling lonely are two different things. I think both are perfectly fine, not necessarily unhealthy, but maybe emotionally exhausting. I prefer to be alone most of the time. I don’t need to be around people all the time or talk incessantly.

If you’re lonley and would like to fix the problem, just go out and meet people, coffee shop, bookstore, sporting store, music store. Sometimes they have websites where you can organize group meetups. .

It can be physical. We know from biofeedback that lack of touch and companionship can raise blood pressure and heart rate, and other things in the body that can shorten your life.

If babies aren’t held, they are severely affected. It’s less of a big deal for adults, because we take care of our needs in other ways. We can be alone and not lonely. Being completely alone for an extremely long period of time would negatively affect most people mentally and physically. Communicating on the web counts. What we do here counts as interaction.

I think that being comfortable with yourself and your aloneness is a positive thing. Isolation due to depression is not good but enjoying solitude and living alone can be very rewarding. I also think it is about the seasons of a persons life. Younger people may have a harder time with being single and living alone but many mature people, I am one of them, relish their space and freedom and refrain from having to deal with others on a daily basis under the same roof.

I am a divorced woman that loves her space and freedom and have zero desire to remarry or live with others. If being alone is unhappy for you it will not be a good experience but for many it is something to be treasured.

A person can be lonely even when surrounded by family and friends. I certainly was. Then when I moved out on my own and rarely saw anyone I had never felt more at ease. Solitude suits some people fine. Great thing about my marriage is that the wife and I understand that the both of us need large amounts of time on our own and we give each other that.

I guess I can’t really relate to a question like this, I’m pretty talkative and outgoing, have a lot of friends and family. I’m sure some people wish I’d just shut the hell up at times. But if I were to find myself stranded alone somewhere, in the country or an open, isolated stretch of National Park for some reason, I think I could manage to muddle through. I’m no Daniel Boone, but I could survive and I might actually enjoy the solitude.

I was an only child and while extroverted too I am really good at entertaining myself and escaping the city for country living years ago just lends itself to enjoying solitude. Funny because my city friends that come up here complain it is too quiet to sleep. haha
I am the opposite, don’t sleep well in city noise, give me coyotes howling over helicopters hovering any day of the week.

Think I’d prefer the coyotes over the sirens and choppers myself. By a long shot. @Coloma

@NomoreY_A For sure. Out here you are entertained by strange animal sounds in the night. Last night something , or several somethings, were squealing down by the pond. Not sure what the hell it was and I’m pretty good at identifying the creatures of the night. Lately we have one male Bullfrog in the pond that hasn’t had any luck with the ladies I guess, he croaks all night long. haha

Poor little frog. Maybe he’s a prince in disguise, more fool the mean ol’ girl frogs. LOL

Being alone and feeling lonely are two different things. I can be alone with myself and be just fine. I read my books, take walks, do yard work and house work.
That’s not the same as wishing for companionship that you can’t have.

Loneliness Kills

@Dutchess_III Exactly.

Mental health does affect longevity. If you have poor mental health it is just as damaging to your body as smoking or obesity. There are plenty of articles to back up this claim.

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/p/physical-health-and-mental-health

I was an only child and I was alone for the most part until I had my daughter at 41. I love to be alone. If I want companionship, I meet friends for dinner or movies or shopping, or I go on the internet (FB, Fluther), or text. I am really happy being alone in the house.