“I go to my solitudes,/from my solitudes I come,/because to walk with me/my thoughts are enough.” This is how Lope de Vega begins his famous poem La Dorotea , from 1632.Loneliness has always had apologists and detractors, and from art and literature it is meticulously described...
Loneliness is a state through which almost all of us have passed, and we will pass unfailingly at some point in time.our lives.Sometimes we need to be alone, but that is different from feeling alone continuously.And there is no age to have that feeling.
We can feel alone for several reasons: for being rejected or abused by others -which hurts us not only the ego but something much more intimate, that vulnerable and tiny mass that rests helplessly in the bottom of everyone waiting for the balsam of a caress, a smile, a friendly tone...&ndash because of the feeling that we don't fit into our environment , and that is why the maladjustment arises and we don't feel part of the group ; for spending a moment of break with the couple, or the death of a loved one ; for spending too much time on social networks (spending a lot of time on internet sites can be counterproductive, in the least case, because by focusing more on the individual in virtual communities and friendships and leaving aside the real will actually make you feel much more alone); and because of the aging .Unfortunately, our modern societies separate the elderly, taking away their sense of belonging and the perception of their own importance.At the same time they are also losing physical faculties and the environment of their friendships, which makes the elderly feel hopelessly alone .
Of course, we understand that this loneliness we are talking about is not just a physical fact, being alone, without company.It is also a feeling.That chronic feeling of loneliness is what generates terrible and even fatal things in the body and in the mind, like the ones we tell you below.
Some of the terrible effects of loneliness
1.The brain feels it as a physical pain
In the brains of lonely people there are signs of threat and pain quite similar to the responses to danger and real pain, and cortisol fires abnormally in the morning and never, throughout of the day, manages to balance.
Dr. Naomi Eisenberger , Professor of Social Psychology at UCLA, USA, studied this relationship in 2003, and warns:
“From an evolutionary perspective it makes sense; our prehistoric ancestors depended on social groups not only to have company but to survive.Staying near the tribe brought access to housing, food and protection.Separation from the group, on the other hand, meant danger."
2.Influences insomnia and sleep disorders
People alone suffer much more noticeably sleep interruptions.The link between loneliness and a bad night is very close, because the Anxiety and chronic depression prevent them from falling asleep or staying asleep.
It makes repairing sleep difficult , which affects everyday life and health.
3.Increases the risk of dementia
In a study conducted in 2012, in Amsterdam (Holland), which brought together almost 2,200 older adults, the participants before they reported feeling alone (regardless of whether they had friends or family around) they were more likely to develop dementia than those who lived alone .
The group of older people were between 65 and 86 years of age, they had no signs of dementia and did not live in nursing homes, although approximately half lived alone; 20% reported feeling lonely and almost two thirds were women.
The researchers found that feeling alone increased the risk of dementia up to 64%, although they did not show that loneliness was the only factor.They even admitted that the opposite is also true, that is, that dementia and its mood swings would contribute to isolation.In any case, loneliness might increase.
4.Reduce life expectancy
Two studies were carried out in 2012, where it was warned that feeling lonely could increase the risk of dying prematurely.
In the first, 45,000 people aged 45 years and older who had a disease were studied cardiac or at high risk of having it.Of those, those who lived alone were more likely to die from stroke, heart attacks and other similar complications, over a period of 4 years, in comparison aracion with those who lived among friends or family.
The second one focused on people 60 and older and found that both men and women were 45% more likely to die in a 6 years if they reported feeling alone, excluded or isolated.
The interesting thing is that 43% of those who reported loneliness did not always live alone, which clearly indicated the relationship between loneliness and the problems of health.
5.Can generate heart problems
This is another effect of loneliness that chronic loners can have: an "overexpression" of genes, connected to cells that produce an inflammatory response to tissue damage.
The short-term inflammatory response may be good, but in the long term it can cause cardiovascular disease or cancer.
Although in this 2011 study, He found a single correlation between genetic expression and loneliness, which on the other hand does not assure that one is a cause of the other, if it could be noted that anti-inflammatory drugs could be useful for those who cannot get rid of their feelings of loneliness.
In any case, if you feel alone, seek help, do not refuse to maintain relationships with your friends and family, and fight against the mental and emotional habits of loneliness.To do this, nothing better than imposing a routine of interaction with people.You will see that even greeting you will do much good, and little by little you will overcome loneliness.something easy, but if you have a disposition there is nothing you cannot do.
If you have been interested in discovering the effects of loneliness, we invite you to read about Anhedonia, when life loses meaning.
Images: Marc Nadal , codin.g , Neil Moralee , Francis Bourgouin , Wayne S.Grazio , ashley rose,
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