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BMC Journal revealed factors that make people lonely. Loneliness is not only harmful to the mind but also to one’s health. Here are the insights from the newly conducted study in the Netherlands.
Further, there are 26,000 respondents participated in the research including young adults (ages 19-34), early middle-aged adults (ages 35-49), and late-middle-aged adults (50-65). The research found out that there are 44% of the participants dealt with loneliness.
Interestingly, the research found that factors of loneliness depend on age. Young adults feel lonely if they are less likely to be in contact with their friends. This is the most significant factor that affects this age group. Also, young adults who are less educated are found out to be lonely.
Education is more normative for young adults, and they are more likely to be expected to strive for educational goals,” the researchers explain in the paper on their findings.
Moreover, a job is a significant factor that affects middle-aged people to feel lonelier. Family contact was also associated with the loneliness of this type of age group.
The late-middle-aged group revealed that perceived health is associated with loneliness.
The study found out that the feeling left out factor is similar to all aged groups.
“Each period in life is characterized by specific behaviors and goals, such as completing school and leaving the parental home for young adults. Whether an individual perceives loneliness or not depends on the individual’s ability to perform and/or meet these age-normative behaviors and goals,” researchers stated.
Respectively, the study revealed that living alone, little contact with neighbors, poor psychological and emotional well-being, psychological distress, and feeling excluded from society (the strongest factor for loneliness, according to the study) are factors that make people feel lonely.
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