Being Alone

 Some people claim that they don’t mind being alone, or even prefer it.  Others cannot tolerate one day of interpersonal isolation.  Loneliness, as most psychological conditions, is of course a state of mind.

Studies have suggested that persons who do regard themselves as lonely are less physically and emotionally healthy than the non-lonely.  Lonely individuals, for instance, tend have higher systolic blood pressure (Hawkley et al., 2006), putting them at greater stroke risk.  And lonely individuals, not surprisingly, are more susceptible to mental illness, especially depression (Cacioppo et al., 2006).

People, in general, are social animals.  We have evolved in groups and depend on others, to some extent, from birth to death; adverse effects of loneliness are not unexpected.  So what predisposes one to loneliness?

Michelle H. Lim and her associates (2016) looked into the issue by studying 1, 010 persons from the general community, aged 18 to 87, testing them three times over a six month period.  The single greatest predictor of loneliness was preexisting social anxiety.  That is, the lonely were lonely mostly because they historically had felt nervous around people.  The issue was one of fearfulness, for instance, rather than lack of opportunity for interaction per se.  The researchers made a state versus trait distinction worth your attention.  They specifically noted that the kind of social anxiety that we all experience periodically (state social anxiety) did not contribute to loneliness.  It was only trait social anxiety (social anxiety that is an enduring personality component) that promoted loneliness.  Lim also noted that trait-lonely people not only tended to be more depressed than their gregarious compatriots but also more paranoid.   Most important, the researchers speculated that loneliness per se most often preceded and aggravated paranoia rather than vice versa.

Most often, although not always, lonely people literally are alone.   Being alone yields predictable outcomes.  The lonely are alone with their thoughts.  Since we all have our anxieties, alone-persons are also alone with their discontents and fears; and being alone with them, the negative impacts are magnified.  So, if nothing else, one should seek interactions with others as alternatives to self-destructive ruminations.  Moreover, being with others helps activate you and provides a respite from physically unhealthful behaviors that you are more likely to perform in private, such as overeating.                  

If loneliness is a risk factor for physical and mental health problems then, reducing loneliness contributes to a more healthful lifestyle.  There is a time to be alone and a time to be with people.  Don’t let your social anxiety or suspicions limit your chance to derive health and pleasure coincident with interpersonal involvement.

References:

Cacioppo, J. T., Hughes, M. E., Waite, L. J., Hawkley, L. C., & Thisted, R. A. (2006). Loneliness as a specific risk factor for depressive symptoms: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Psychology and Aging, 21, 140–151.

Hawkley, L. C., Masi, C. M., Berry, J. D., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2006). Loneliness is a unique predictor of age-related differences in systolic blood pressure. Psychology and Aging, 21, 152–164. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.21.1.152.

Lim, M., Rodebaugh, T.,  Zyphur, M.,  & Gleeson, J.  (2016).  Loneliness over time: The crucial role of social anxiety.  Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 125, 5, 620-630.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/abn0000162.