Loneliness has long been plague-ing the human race, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, and social standing.
Unfortunately, loneliness is now considered a public health hazard, and its effects are similar to the consequences that come from smoking, and from medical conditions such as obesity.
It's equally as important, too. Experts say that stigma for loneliness and social isolation still exist even today.
"In public health, we talk all the time about obesity and smoking and have all these interventions," said Kerstin Gerst Emerson of the University of Georgia. "But not about people who are lonely and socially isolated."
Emerson said there are terrible and tangible outcomes that come from loneliness.
"Lonely people are dying," said Emerson. "They're less healthy, and they are costing our society more."
Loneliness Among Older People
In the United Kingdom, the Local Government Association (LGA) urged the public that immediate action must be done in order to deal with the issue of loneliness.
It can have costly and devastating consequences that are comparable to obesity and smoking, the LGA said.
At the same time, a group called Charity Age UK says more than a million elderly people are afflicted with loneliness.
Charity Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said because of loneliness, many older people go for days and months without any profound human contact.
"[Loneliness] is a serious condition which can be enormously damaging, both mentally and physically," said Abrahams.
Izzi Seccombe, public health spokesperson for LGA, said the consequences of loneliness can be dealt with through several ways, one of which is early prevention.
Seccombe said councils in the UK are already teaming up with community organizations and volunteers to do so.
Loneliness And Depression
Social isolation is an unavoidable lifestyle, and it puts the body on constant alert for threat. This explains why people who are lonely tend to act antagonistic towards others, making it harder for them to form relationships.
Jacqueline Olds, a psychiatrist and an author of books about loneliness, said many people who are lonely give off signals that they want to be alone. This is due to anxiety.
The most widely-accepted definition of loneliness is the agony people feel when reality fails to meet their ideal of social relationships.
Loneliness does not equate to being alone. For instance, many people live solitary lives but they are not lonely. On the other hand, many are surrounded by people but still feel lonely.
"Feeling left out has a huge effect on our psyche our evolutionary worries that everyone else will survive and we won't," said Olds.
There is also fine line between loneliness and depression, experts added.
While the two often go hand in hand, loneliness is often related to the drive to belong and is motivational. Meanwhile, depression is a more general feeling of hopelessness or sadness, and is a lack of any motivation at all.
