Old, alone, and enjoying it: loneliness and solitude in later years

The health consequences of loneliness

“…Recent research indicates that many do not have a close person in whom they can confide in, resulting in a fundamental loss of human contact that was so essential to previous generations and were thus preserved [20,21] .…”

“…People who experience loneliness are known to be inhibited and possess ineffective social skills, less inclined to face social challenges, lack assertiveness, and have lacking social skills, where they may exaggerate their self-disclosure in a way of letting the world know of their misery [20,53] . They appear to be helpless and act in a passive and inefficient manner, continuously needing and even demanding attention [21] . This may lead to increased difficulties with forming new relationships and maintaining existing relations as well as negatively impacting effective communication in one's personal and professional life.…”

“…Feeling forgotten, irrelevant, and abandoned by those around us, often results in loneliness. However, we may seek solitude for the opposite needs we have at the time: needing to be alone in order to participate in pursuits that are important to us such as introspection, or relaxing from the daily onslaught of stimuli and demands [21] .…”