Coronavirus pandemic has NOT led to a rise in loneliness in the US, study finds

Loneliness did not increase among Americans during the coronavirus pandemic, a new study suggests. When social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders were enacted, there was a lot of fear that people would feel isolated. Instead, there were increased feelings of social support and more reports of people connecting with their family and friends. The team, … Read more

Loneliness alters neural ‘maps’ of the brain, study shows

Neural activity in our brain can show whether we are experiencing loneliness, scientists say.   US researchers claim sociable people show similar ‘stamps’ of brain activity when they think about themselves and their friends. In comparison, brain activity in lonely people is more skewed, leading to more dissimilar activity patterns when they think about themselves and … Read more

Loneliness makes it harder to quit smoking, study finds

Long periods of loneliness, such as those experienced during the current coronavirus lockdown, makes smoking habits worse, according to a new study. Being alone increases both the likelihood of starting smoking and the number of cigarettes smoked per day, while decreasing the likelihood of successfully quitting, UK researchers say. The team at the University of … Read more

Jessica Marais shares raw open letter about ‘loneliness and death’ after being hospitalised 

‘I have the courage to speak my truth’: Jessica Marais shares a raw open letter about ‘loneliness, death and surviving’ a month after being hospitalised By Joshua Fox For Daily Mail Australia Published: 23:05 BST, 10 June 2020 | Updated: 23:36 BST, 10 June 2020 Jessica Marais shared a heartfelt open letter about ‘loneliness and … Read more

How to beat lockdown loneliness & lethargy

She’s the feminist pioneer and author who famously told women life was ‘too short to stuff a mushroom’. Now Shirley Conran, who at 87 is recovering from brain surgery while self-isolating, is applying that same no-nonsense approach to life in lockdown. Here, the original Silver Superwoman presents the second part of her blueprint to coming … Read more

Bipolar man, 34, with diabetes killed himself due to lockdown loneliness

Bipolar man, 34, with diabetes killed himself after being pushed over the edge due to loneliness when he was forced to self-isolate during coronavirus, family say Daniel Furniss, 34, lived by himself in Crookhorn, near Portsmouth, Hampshire  The ‘big kid’ who was a ‘joy to everyone’ struggled with the lack of contact Sister Chelsea Furniss … Read more

Coronavirus crisis could cause a loneliness epidemic in older adults

Coronavirus crisis could cause a loneliness epidemic in older adults: Study shows cutting off over-50s from transport, retail and leisure facilities increases feelings of isolation and depression Researchers surveyed 5,912 people aged 50+ from Finland, Poland and Spain They assessed their levels of loneliness and whether they had major depression People were asked about amenities and how walkable their neighbourhood … Read more

Esther Rantzen says coronavirus is a chance to eliminate ‘modern plague’ of loneliness among elderly

When Boris Johnson last week warned that ‘many more families are going to lose loved ones’, it was a clear, chilling statement of the reality of the coronavirus pandemic. But most of us were reassured by the measured words of the two eminent scientists who stood either side of him, about the actions being taken … Read more