Loneliness and Health Mechanisms

As humans we possess a need to belong, which constitutes a fundamental motivation driving our thoughts, emotions and interpersonal behaviour. This need to belong comprises a pervasive desire to form and maintain at least a minimum quantity of lasting positive and significant interpersonal relationships. Consequently, people who experience persistent difficulties in establishing and maintaining satisfying relationships with others, and thus have difficulty satisfying their belonging needs are likely to experience a sense of deprivation, manifested in disturbances such as loneliness. Loneliness has been demonstrated to be associated with a number physical health issues (e.g., poorer immune and cardiovascular functioning, sleep deficiencies). Moreover, some sufferers of loneliness exhibit problematic behaviors such as alcohol or drug abuse, and symptoms including eating or sleep disturbances, fatigue, headaches, as well as disorders including anxiety, or depression, without even realizing the possible involvement of social problems. Nevertheless, irrespective of whether it is recognized as such, chronic loneliness has the potential to substantially interfere with physical health, and should therefore be the subject of intervention efforts.