Psychology of loneliness
Loneliness is an emotional response that many people are familiar with. Understanding how psychological approaches can help ease feelings of loneliness and shape our response can help us improve support for older people who are lonely. How people understand why they are lonely can also make a difference to their experience of loneliness. Loneliness can become chronic if it is seen as something we cannot change. Believing that loneliness is part of who we are, and that we are to blame for it in some way because our relationships are not what we would like them to be, can make loneliness harder to ‘shift’.People often use words like anxiety, fear, shame and helplessness to describe how loneliness makes them feel. These powerful emotions can influence how we behave. It can make people wary of social situations or perceive interactions with others more negatively.
