New Research on Overcoming Loneliness

The Wall Street Journal:

I was feeling lonely one recent weekend. I craved company, but friends and family all seemed to be on vacation or busy. So I arranged to chat with a friend who lives in another city, signed up for a group kayak outing, and decided I’d take myself to Sunday brunch at a new restaurant nearby.

Then I canceled my plans, ignored my phone when it rang and read for two days. It didn’t make me less lonely. I was relieved Monday morning when the rhythm of work started up again.

Now, two new studies by the husband and wife research team John and Stephanie Cacioppo, psychologists at the University of Chicago and leading authorities on the psychology and neuroscience of loneliness, show that this may be because people’s brains operate differently when they are lonely.

Read the whole story: The Wall Street Journal