According to a recent study, there are many lonely souls in this world.
People can feel lonely for any reason at any age — however, those 50 and older are said to be the most lonesome.
Where are these desolate people?
After studying 29 countries and their loneliness rates — a team of Emory University scientists found that Greece and its neighbor, Cyprus, have the loneliest people.
Slovakia and Italy almost tied for second place. The US shouldn’t get too cocky though, because it managed to make the top five list.
While the elderly often describe themselves as feeling the most alone — the study findings revealed that the US was filled with more lonely middle-aged adults compared to all other countries — except the Netherlands.
“There is a general perception that people get lonelier as they age, but the opposite is actually true in the US where middle-aged people are lonelier than older generations,” said Dr Robin Richardson, a professor at Emory University.
Not being married, being unemployed, mental health issues and poor health are what’s reportedly causing people who are in their prime to be unhappy and feel withdrawn in the US.
“Our findings show that loneliness is not just a late-life issue. In fact, many middle-aged adults—often juggling work, caregiving, and isolation—are surprisingly vulnerable and need targeted interventions just as much as older adults, added Dr. Esteban Calvo, according to the Daily Mail.
Yet, those same reasons are what’s causing older people in other countries to feel isolated.
Clearly, there’s a worldwide loneliness epidemic on our hands.
But it’s not all doom and gloom everywhere. Denmark might have a small population — but they seem to be the most satisfied, as the country ranked last on the list.
Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and Spain were also low on the list.
The top 10 loneliest countries (ranked from loneliest to least lonely)
1. Greece
2. Cyprus
3. Slovakia
4. Italy
5. United States
6. Israel
7. Czech Republic
8. Romania
9. Bulgaria
10. Latvia
While this study points out that both middle-aged and older folks feel the most withdrawn — a specific type of loneliness has recently struck women in their 30s.
It’s known on social media as “girlhood FOMO” — which is the fear of missing out on the close-knit female friendship groups often portrayed in media.
Popular TV shows like “Sex and the City” put female friendships at the forefront — leaving many young women feeling disheartened if they don’t have their own Charlotte, Samantha, Carrie and Miranda type of clique.
27-year-old Eliza Becker shared on social media more insight into how this phenomenon has personally affected her.
“I often feel this way, and it has led me to do many things on my own — which I’m perfectly okay with — but it’s just times like this that you’d appreciate company,”
“I think as girls, we are often made to believe we need a group,” she said.
“We’re constantly told about the importance of ‘girlhood’ and having a solid circle of friends to talk through life issues and relationships with”.
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