What are the 3 periods in our lives where we are the most alone?

Science has determined three periods in the lives of people struggling with loneliness that should pay attention to the most.

Loneliness represents one of the greatest risks to human health. So much so, that past research has revealed that lonely people experience much more health problems and even have a shorter lifespan.

Let's underline how sensitive the issue is by briefly touching on recent research:

Research on isolation and loneliness conducted by Brigham Young University in 2015 revealed that both factors "caused a 50% increase in premature deaths," in line with data from thousands of people. It was understood that both elements also cause high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and depression. It was determined that if isolation and loneliness could not be overcome, the situation worsened and perception problems and Alzheimer's started.

The above information is enough to summarize how terrible it is to be alone. But the situation is getting worse, according to science. In fact, loneliness has become a bigger health problem than obesity in the USA. Marriages around the world are declining, people are becoming more and more digital and anti-social. After all, we can say that those who confine themselves to loneliness shorten their lives with their own hands.

For non-believers, here's the results of the most comprehensive study of "loneliness", published in 2010 in the journal PLOS Medicine: Analysis of data from 148 studies involving 308,849 people revealed that people with strong social relationships were 50% more likely to live longer than those who wasolate themselves.

A study of 340 people between the ages of 27 and 101 by Dilip Jeste, a neuropsychiatrist at UC San Diego, and his team disproved the notion that loneliness is a problem that occurs with age.

According to the results of the psychological health assessments, three periods of peak loneliness were identified: late 80s, mid-50s, and late 20s.


Which Ages Experience Which Crises?

While the researchers were unable to identify the exact factors, they noted that the loneliness that occurs during these periods is predominantly due to the difficulties and stress associated with age. Jeste explains why loneliness can be at its peak in your late 20s:

“This period usually represents the years when one makes critical decisions. You think your peers make better decisions than you do, and you feel guilty about regretting your decisions.”

In their mid-50s, people go through a "midlife crisis." Health problems experienced during this period increase people's awareness of death.

When it comes to the late 80s, the psychological effect of loneliness can reappear strongly. Along with physical exhaustion, memory loss and the death of a friend and partner make the situation worse.

The point to be noted is how "severe" the loneliness is rather than when it occurs. Unfortunately, this period is increasing. While the US-based past studies ranged from 17% to 57%, the most recent study from 2018 found the persistence of loneliness to be 76%. This result frightened the researchers because none of the subjects suffering from such severe loneliness had suffered from serious mental problems such as severe depression or schizophrenia. The results indicated that loneliness is becoming an increasingly serious illness among normal people.

Read Lots of Books!

In the last part of the research, Jeste and her team wanted to consider loneliness from a different perspective. The test, called the "San Diego Wisdom Scale", correlates certain regions of the human brain with social behaviors, emotional patterns and reflections, and abilities such as tolerance and self-understanding.

In experiments, researchers discovered an inversely proportional relationship between intelligence and loneliness. In short, it turned out that wiser, wiser people suffer less from loneliness.

According to Ellen Lee, who took part in the research, this result can be explained as “traits such as empathy, passion and emotional management that express wisdom create resistance to loneliness”.

Ultimately, the researchers stated that they “need to deal with loneliness in different ways”, noting that this problem is not just caused by social isolation. Jeste said, “A person may be lonely but not feel that way, on the other hand, someone who is among people may feel lonely. The important thing is to be able to connect people.”

Isn't that the most important thing?