5 Ways We Try to Fight Loneliness

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Did you know that loneliness is considered a major health issue? It’s true.

There are now calls to treat it as seriously as smoking and obesity because there is evidence to suggest a link between loneliness and an early death.

Due to the fact that we are, by nature, social animals, prolonged feelings of loneliness can be devastating to our health.

As such we have come up with several ways to reduce feelings of isolation, all of which have positive and negative aspects. Here are five major ways in which we may try to stave off loneliness.

Television

1) Television

Recent studies have built on a body of existing research that says television really can help us feel less lonely.

Psychologists, dubbing the phenomena as “social surrogacy,” have observed that people are not only more likely to watch their favorite TV shows when they feel lonely, but actually will use this as a means to make themselves feel better.

In a recent test, subjects were asked to recall a fight they had with a loved one, in effect to create feelings of low self-esteem and isolation. They were then given a choice of whether to write about a TV show they loved or one they hated.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, subjects were more likely to write about the shows they enjoyed.

They were also more likely to report purposefully seeking out enjoyment from watching their favorite program after experiencing a (simulated or real) fight.

The TV shows acted in a way to buffer their emotional hurt and allow them a feeling of social belonging.

Moreover, separate studies have suggested that for those people who find social interaction difficult, television programs can in fact help to facilitate better understanding of social cues, like facial expressions and the linguistic graces more socially aware people would take for granted.

There’s a downside of course. There are some startling statistics on the casual links between television watching and poor overall health. More than that though, people who use television as a means of social surrogacy may become reliant and miss out on fostering better relationships with those around them.

First image used under the Creative Commons Attribution License with thanks to justcrono. Second image: Kansir.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Elena T.

2:53AM PDT on Oct 25, 2012

Thank you for sharing :)

October 25
send a green star

Adam C.

7:23PM PDT on Sep 30, 2012

I was right with this article until it mentioned religion. If it had said "join an institution" then sure as that covers not only joining a church or other spiritual group but also includes chess clubs, gardening clubs, book clubs etc etc. Any one of these are legitimate ways of fighting loneliness. The line "There is even some evidence to suggest a correlation between religion and dealing with feelings of loneliness. " is a spurious argument as that argument can be applied to any social organization as being part of any social group is going to impact your loneliness.

September 30
send a green star

Diana C.

2:16PM PDT on Sep 30, 2012

First of all, why do they list the points on different screens. It is so hard to get from one to the next since it takes forever. What a turn off. I did not get beyond one. Second, what if one chooses to keep to oneself because people totally get on their nerves. I can't stand people.

first of all. I hate

Winn A.

11:58AM PDT on Sep 28, 2012

Thanks

September 28
send a green star

Debbie L.

10:05AM PDT on Sep 28, 2012

Thanks.

Holly L.

7:39PM PDT on Sep 27, 2012

Omly those who have suffered loneliness know about it - no one else does

September 27
send a green star

Eternal G.

6:37PM PDT on Sep 27, 2012

Think about this; it's a major issue in our Western "civilization", what made us evolve this way if it doesn't sustain us in a healthy way?

Terry V.

3:36PM PDT on Sep 27, 2012

thank you

TERRANCE N.

12:21PM PDT on Sep 27, 2012

I would replace religion with spirituality. My experience is that those stuck in one religion can be the most fearful, insecure, suspicious, greedy, and revengeful. Religious fanatics seem to look upon those who don't share their religion as somehow less than them. They are constantly trying to convert you. When they can't convert you, the resentment goes into play. Spirituality usually accepts everyone regardless of their faith or non-faith.

I would also add to the list hobbies like drawing, gardening, building something, or any activity that doesn't involve buying a finished process. Our corporate culture has just about totally taken away the creative process. Even most of our jobs involve sitting at a computer that is actuallly doing the creative process for us.

Ultimately, the best thing the masses of people on this earth can do is to start worker cooperatives so that the creative process can be put back in the workers hand. Going to work for eight hours a day, being told what to do, and then having your labor practically stolen from you by a CEO who pays themselves millions and pay the workers just enough so they have to borrow money to make ends me is the main thing killing most of us.

Jane H.

12:04PM PDT on Sep 27, 2012

care2 is good for me because many of my best friends are conservative or VERY consrvative and I don't share with them my deepest values and beliefs, like I do with youall on Care 2!