Feeling Lonely? You might be self-centered, says new research

These findings fit in with an overarching evolutionary theory on loneliness.

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Loneliness is usually a difficult emotion to divulge. We want to project to others that we have a vibrant and fulfilling social life. Of course, we all get lonely sometimes, but some far more often than others. Usually, divulging that one is lonely elicits compassion, empathy, or even pity on the part of the listener. But perhaps they shouldn't feel so, according to one long-term study out of the University of Chicago. It finds that those who are chronically lonely are more likely to be self-centered. The findings of the study were published in the journal Personality and Psychology Bulletin.

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Mind & Brain

The difference between solitude and loneliness

We're more lonely than ever and this is horrible. Equally horrible? We can't bare to spend time alone. 

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‘All man’s miseries,’ wrote the French mathematician Blaise Pascal, ‘derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone’. Often in our busy lives this is caused by having too much to do. Sometimes it is our own inability to set down the smartphone and sit. Our go, go, go lives often leave us with little time for solitude. This is a shame, as many great minds argue, for being able to be alone with your own thoughts is a great skill that more people could use.

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Your Brain Interprets Prolonged Loneliness as Physical Pain – Why?

Scientists are finding that loneliness has real medical consequences, and the brain sees it as pain.

Alone. (ANDREI NIEMIMÄKI)

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Surprising Science