The percentage of older American adults who say they’re lonely has doubled from 20% to 40% since the 1980s. A study of Americans in 2004 found that more than 1 in 10 reported having no one to spend free time with or discuss important matters. 2 in 10 suffer from loneliness so chronic and severe that it is a major source of unhappiness. Based on research conducted more recently, that number might have grown. 5 Reasons to Care:
A great article from the New York Times explains: “Loneliness is an especially tricky problem because accepting and declaring our loneliness carries profound stigma. Admitting we’re lonely can feel as if we’re admitting we’ve failed in life’s most fundamental domains: belonging, love, attachment. It attacks our basic instincts to save face, and makes it hard to ask for help. New research suggests that loneliness is not necessarily the result of poor social skills or lack of social support, but can be caused in part by unusual sensitivity to social cues. Lonely people are more likely to perceive ambiguous social cues negatively, and enter a self-preservation mind-set — worsening the problem. Dr. John Cacioppo, a psychology professor at the University of Chicago, has tested various approaches to treat loneliness. His work has found that the most effective interventions focus on addressing “maladaptive social cognition” — that is, helping people re-examine how they interact with others and perceive social cues.” Increasingly, research confirms our deepest intuition: New York Times: How Social Isolation is Killing Us http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/upshot/how-social-isolation-is-killing-us.html
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AuthorVrindy Spencer is constantly seeking inspiration on topics of personal and human development, leadership, community, connection, and intimacy (with self and others). Archives
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