lunes, 13 de noviembre de 2017

The deadly truth about loneliness | MercatorNet |November 14, 2017| MercatorNet |

The deadly truth about loneliness

MercatorNet  |November 14, 2017| MercatorNet |







The deadly truth about loneliness

We continue to underestimate the lethality of loneliness as a serious public health issue
Michelle H. Lim | Nov 13 2017 | comment 


Loneliness is not just about whether there are people around. David Hodgson/Flickr, CC BY-SA
Almost all of us have experienced loneliness at some point. It is the pain we have felt following a breakup, perhaps the loss of a loved one, or a move away from home. We are vulnerable to feeling lonely at any point in our lives.
Loneliness is commonly used to describe a negative emotional state experienced when there is a difference between the relationships one wishes to have and those one perceives one has.
The unpleasant feelings of loneliness are subjective; researchers have found loneliness is not about the amount of time one spends with other people or alone. It is related more to quality of relationships, rather than quantity. A lonely person feels that he or she is not understood by others, and may not think they hold meaningful relationships.
For some people, loneliness may be temporary and easily relieved (such as a close friend moving away, or a spouse returning home after a work trip). For others, loneliness cannot be easily resolved (such as the death of a loved one or the breakup of a marriage) and can persist when one does not have access to people to connect with.
From an evolutionary point of view, our reliance on social groups has ensured our survival as a species. Hence loneliness can be seen as a signal to connect with others. This makes it little different to hunger, thirst or physical pain, which signal the need to eat, drink or seek medical attention.
In affluent modern societies, however, turning off the alarm signals for loneliness has become more difficult than satisfying hunger, thirst or the need to see the doctor. For those who are not surrounded by people who care for them, loneliness can persist.
Researchers have found social isolation is a risk factor for disease and premature death. Findings from a recent review of multiple studies indicated that a lack of social connection poses a similar risk of early death to physical indicators such as obesity.
Loneliness is a risk factor for many physical health difficulties, from fragmented sleep and dementia to lower cardiovascular output.
Some individuals may also be biologically vulnerable to feeling lonely. Evidence from twin studies found that loneliness may be partly heritable.
Multiple studies have focused on how loneliness can be a result of certain gene types combined with particular social or environmental factors (such as parental support).
Loneliness has largely been ignored as a condition of concern in mental health. Researchers have yet to fully understand the extent of how loneliness affects mental health. Most studies of loneliness and mental health have focused solely on how loneliness relates to depression.
Although loneliness and depression are partly related, they are different. Loneliness refers specifically to negative feelings about the social world, whereas depression refers to a more general set of negative feelings.
In a study that measured loneliness in older adults over a five-year period, loneliness predicted depression, but the reverse was not true.

Addressing loneliness

Loneliness may be mistaken as a depressive symptom, or perhaps it is assumed that loneliness will go away once depressive symptoms are addressed. Generally, “lonely” people are encouraged to join a group or make a new friend, on the assumption that loneliness will then simply go away.
While creating opportunities to connect with others provides a platform for social interaction, relieving the social pain is not so straightforward. Lonely people can have misgivings about social situations and as a result show rejecting behaviours. These can be misconstrued as unfriendliness, and people around the lonely person respond accordingly. This is how loneliness can become a persistent cycle.
study examined the effectiveness of different types of treatments aimed at addressing loneliness. The results indicated that treatments that focused on changing negative thinking about others were more effective than those that provided opportunities for social interaction.
Another promising way to tackle loneliness is to improve the quality of our relationships, specifically by building intimacy with those around us. Using a positive psychology approach that focuses on increasing positive emotions within relationships or increasing social behaviours may encourage deeper and more meaningful connections with others.
Indeed, even individuals who have been diagnosed with serious mental illness have reported improvements in their well-being and relationships after sharing positive emotions and doing more positive activities with others. However, research using a positive psychology approach to loneliness remains in its infancy.
We continue to underestimate the lethality of loneliness as a serious public health issue. Contemporary tools such as social media, while seeming to promote social connection, favour brief interactions with many acquaintances over the development of fewer but more meaningful relationships. In this climate, the challenge is to address loneliness and focus on building significant bonds with those around us.
The ConversationThe growing scientific evidence highlighting the negative consequences of loneliness for physical and mental health can no longer be ignored.
Michelle H Lim, Lecturer and Clinical Psychologist, Swinburne University of Technology. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.


MercatorNet

November 14, 2017

We have heard a lot about dastardly deeds lately, so it is refreshing to read Francis Phillips' review of Suzanne's Children -- the biography of a Belgian society woman who was living in Paris during the Nazi occupation and decided that "Something must be done" for the children of Jewish adults being deported wholesale to concentration camps. An inspiring glimpse of a woman who suffered her own hardships but put them aside to help others.

Also today: Tracey O'Donnell interviews Mark Regnerus about reactions to his book, Cheap Sex. Heather Zeiger analyses a case in which an American court will soon decide whether or not drug addicts have free will. Marcus Roberts writes that Canada is to admit nearly one million immigrants over the next three years to compensate for low fertility and meet social security commitments. And Michael Cook has an update on euthanasia in The Netherlands, where, "If there was any taboo, it has gone."




Carolyn Moynihan
Deputy Editor,
MERCATORNET
Suzanne’s Children: One woman’s selfless effort in Nazi Paris
By Francis Phillips
An improbable hero of the French resistance.
Read the full article
 
How technology cheapened sex and made men less marriageable
By Tracey S. O'Donnelland Mark Regnerus
The author of Cheap Sex talks about its provocative thesis.
Read the full article
 
 
The deadly truth about loneliness
By Michelle H. Lim
We continue to underestimate the lethality of loneliness as a serious public health issue
Read the full article
 
Canadian immigration to increase over next few years
By Marcus Roberts
The social security Ponzi scheme must go on.
Read the full article
 
A Muslim father forgives
By Michael Cook
A tragic accident in Sydney brings out the best in Islam
Read the full article
 
An Orthodox nation’s religiously inspired baby boom
By Shannon Roberts
The Georgian Patriarch's offer to baptise infants worked wonders.
Read the full article





MERCATORNET | New Media Foundation
Suite 12A, Level 2, 5 George Street | North Strathfield NSW 2137 | AU | +61 2 8005 8605

No hay comentarios: