Loneliness is a hot topic. The article doesn't really get into the causes of loneliness other than saying it is linked to "various mental and physical illnesses." I've got to think that its more than that.
One thing that crosses my mind as I sit here is the old MBTI. That typology indicator would point out that introverts, who roughly account for 25% of the population, have a need for alone time. They often need to be alone for a period each day. The article doesn't touch on this type of thing.
I have a suspicion that this is more of an epidemic.
What is interesting in this article is the idea that loneliness is communicable. Why though would the study stop with loneliness as communicable. What about violence, or what about arrogance, or obnoxious behavior for example.
Live Science: Loneliness Spreads Like a Virus
Over time, lonely individuals become lonelier and transmit such feelings to others before severing ties. "People with few friends are more likely to become lonelier over time, which then makes it less likely that they will attract or try to form new social ties," they write. Such friendless individuals ended up on the outskirts of their social networks.
Loneliness has been linked with various mental and physical illnesses, including depression. And so the findings could have practical implications. "Society may benefit by aggressively targeting the people in the periphery to help repair their social networks and to create a protective barrier against loneliness that can keep the whole network from unraveling," Cacioppo said.
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