Unfortunately, everyone experiences loneliness from time to time, even though they are surrounded by people. Medical experts say that it’s people’s nature to feel lonely sometimes, and in some cases, it can be passed down from parent to child.
But while this is a genetic state for some people, others become lonely because of their family and friends or other social factors. Nevertheless, too much loneliness could adversely affect your health, and symptoms include difficulty breathing, brain fog, stress, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorders, and other mental issues.
According to a 2018 study done by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), about 22% of Americans say they constantly feel “alone” and another recent survey of 10,000 American adults found that 61% can be considered “lonely”. People who feel lonely often are more prone to high blood pressure, weaker immune system and inflammation.
However, the main idea is that loneliness is a state of mind that has less to do with the number of people around you and more to do with feeling alone even though you are with someone. “If we are in a room full of family and friends but nobody knows the actual thoughts and feelings we are having, we are likely to feel lonely,” psychologist David Narang, author of “Leaving Loneliness,” told HuffPost. “Whereas if even one person knows our true thoughts and feelings at a moment in time, we are much more likely to feel less lonely.”
